WaitI'm a Demigod?
by smartone101
Summary: A story about my OC who finds her way to camp. She makes some friends, but what happens when they go on a quest? Or when she becomes a little more then "just friends" with a certain someone? Implied Tratie. Rated T just in case for future chapters.
1. 1: I get attacked by a dog

**A/N- Hi everybody! This is smartone101. This is set about a year after TLO. No TLH. This is my first fanfic, so yeah, tell me what you think! **

**Disclaimer- I don't own PJO. *sobs***

Chapter 1: I get attacked by a dog.

I paid the driver and got out of the taxi. "You sure you want to stop here?" he asked, "There's nothing here." I looked at him like he was crazy. Couldn't he see the two enormous pillars at the top of the hill? The ones that said "Camp Half Blood"?

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said. It's no use explaining things to people who don't want to hear them, so I didn't contradict him when he said there was nothing there. He pulled away and drove off, leaving me standing at the foot of the hill. My friend Heather had told me to come here this summer. My dad had agreed, or rather, he grunted, which I took as a yes. He's really wrapped up in his work, nowadays, so I guess he's glad to have me out of the way.

So, anyways, I was started to walk up this hill when I hear a growl from behind me. I turned around and saw a dog. But not just any dog. This dog was bigger than I was, and it looked angry. I turned back around and started running. I was almost to the tree at the top of the hill when I tripped. I mentally cursed my stupid clumsiness. I'm always tripping and stuff at the most inconvenient times. As I got up, I felt the dog bite my shoulder and lift me up off the ground. So, of course, I did the natural thing. I screamed. The dog, if you could call it that, started shaking me like a terrier shakes a rat. I heard a _twang_, like that of several bows firing, and the dog disappeared. By disappeared I don't mean it ran away. I mean it completely disappeared, like it had vaporized or something.

It took me a second to realize I was falling. All I had time to do was close my eyes and brace myself before I hit the ground and blacked out.

**A/N- Sorry it's so short! So, like it? Hate it? Should I keep it going? Review please! Oh, yeah, this is from my OC's point of view.**


	2. 2: Questions and Answers

**A/N- Really? No reviews? *sighs* I'm disappointed in you guys. This is the second chapter of **_**Wait- I'm a demigod?**_** So come on people- REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Did you really think I did?**

Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

When I woke up, I was laying on my side in a bed. I was in a low building with really bright lights. "Ah, you're awake," someone said. I turned around and saw a short boy with a face like a ferret's.

"Who _are_ you? And where am I?" I asked with a scowl that matched his.

"You are in the infirmary at Camp Half-Blood." he replied, "after having been attacked by a hellhound and suffering a cracked rib and a nasty looking bite in your right shoulder. The bite should be better in a couple days, especially after you drink this." He handed me a glass that looked suspiciously like iced apple juice. I drank a little bit and found that it tasted like my dad's pumpkin pie, only melted. _Weird, _I thought. I quickly drank the rest of the glass.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nectar," the boy said.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Chiron will explain everything later. Feeling any better?"

"Great!" I said, "but you didn't answer my first question. Who are you?"

"If you insist upon knowing, I am Michael Yew, and I think I'll be going now." he said and promptly stalked off. I got out of the bed as Michael came back with a man in a wheelchair, who I assumed was Chiron.

"Hi," I said.

"Good afternoon, um..-excuse me, what is your name?" he said.

"Khristi Johnson" I answered.

"Very good. Seeing as you're out of bed, I'd normally give you the orientation video, but since the Hermes cabin broke it, I think I'll have Percy give you a tour." With that, he started wheeling himself out of the infirmary, motioning for me to follow, which I did. We went over to a large blue house. "Ah, Percy, there you are!" Chiron said to a tallish boy -maybe 17- with rumpled black hair and sea green eyes. "Could you give Khristi a tour and explain camp to her?"

"Uh, sure." Percy said. Chiron wheeled himself away, leaving me with Percy. "So, you've heard of the Greek gods, right?"

"Like Athena, Apollo, Zeus,-"

"Yep, You've heard of them," he said, cutting me off. "Well anyways, they aren't just myths. They're real."

"Whoa, you're telling me the gods are real," I said. I was pretty sure he was either lying or playing a joke.

"Yeah. Also, you know that they had children, right? Like Perseus, Heracles, and the rest?" I nodded. "Well, we are some of those children."

"No way. You're lying." I said. Thunder rumbled distantly.

"No, actually I'm not. It'll take a while to get used to it, but I'm telling the truth. For example, I'm a son of Poseidon. Because of that, I can control water. Annabeth over there-" he pointed to a blond girl who appeared to be sword fighting- "is a daughter of Athena, so she's really smart." he went on like this as he gave me a tour of the camp. "Now, this will help determine your godly parent. Do you live with your dad or your mom?"

"My dad," I answered.

"Okay, then your mom is a goddess. Let's see, you might be a daughter of Athena, since you have grey eyes, but your hair is light brown. Unless your dad's hair is that color, you're probably not going to be in the Athena cabin."

"Actually, my dad's hair used to be light brown before it turned grey." I said.

"Then you might be in the Athena cabin. The only way to tell for sure is to be claimed. How old are you?"

"I'll be 16 in a month." I said.

"Hmm, you should have been claimed by now," Percy stated. "Maybe you'll be claimed at dinner. For now, though, I'll turn you over to Annabeth. She'll help you pick out a weapon. Hey, Annabeth!" he shouted.

"What is it, Seaweed brain?" she said, coming over.

"Annabeth, this is Khristi. She's new at camp and she needs a weapon. I was hoping you-"

"I've got it covered," she said. "Come on, Khristi." She started walking towards a small shed. I followed. Once we got inside I could see that the place was full of weapons. I looked around. Nothing caught my eye until I spotted a pair of knives, like you'd throw at a target. I picked them up. They felt like they were made for me.

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah?" she said coming over, "Oh, good, you've found a weapon. You might want to have a sword for backup, since these knives are meant to be thrown. I wonder…throw one of the knives at a tree." I did what she said. The knife stuck. I opened my hand, and it sailed back. "Maybe you don't need a sword," Annabeth said. I grinned, then flipped one of the knives experimentally. When it came down, I was holding an owl-shaped earring. I did the same with the other knife, them tugged out my other earrings and put the owls in. _Way cool_, I thought.

"Hey, Annabeth, the knives become earrings!" I said.

"I saw. That should be useful." Then we heard a conch horn blowing. "Oh, it's time for dinner. Come on, follow me. Maybe you'll be claimed!" she said as we walked over to the dining hall.

**A/N- Okay, there's the second chapter. I'll put up the third chapter when I get at least 3 reviews. Oh, yeah, just so you know, Michael Yew is alive. He was thrown from the bridge in TLO and found his way back to camp. **

**Connor Stoll: Michael Yew is dead. Deal with it.**

**Me: No, he isn't.**

**Connor: He's dead. *twang* **_**Connor is pinned to a tree with an arrow.**_

**Michael Yew: I'm not dead, Connor. Get over it. *scowls***

**Now- REVIEW!**

**-smartone101**


	3. 3: Claiming, Campfires, and Connor

**A/N- Much thanks to Silents-in-the-Library for reviewing. Even though I only got two reviews, I'm still posting the next chapter of Wait-I'm a Demigod? **

**Disclaimer: I don't and never will own PJO.**

Chapter 3: Claiming, Campfires, and Connor

As we walked towards the dining pavilion, Annabeth told me to sit with the Hermes cabin since I was unclaimed. I didn't have much trouble figuring out where their table was, since it was really crowded and all the Hermes kids looked very… mischievous. After I sat down, a short rather pudgy man with black curly hair and a very pink face stood up and said something to the effect of, "Quiet down, you rats! Now, as your director, I have to announce that we have a new camper, Chrissa Jackson. Welcome to camp, blah, blah, blah. Oh, yes, and we have Capture the Flag tomorrow."

It took me a second to realize he was talking about me. I stood up and said, "With all due respect, sir, my name is not Chrissa Jackson. It's Khristi Johnson."

"Whatever," the man said. I noticed a centaur standing next to him. The face seemed familiar. _Oh, yeah, that's Chiron._ I remembered.

The girl next to me pulled me down and whispered, "That's Dionysus. Careful what you say to him or you'll get in big trouble." As we stood up to scrape part of our food into the fire, I heard everyone gasp. I looked around. Everyone seemed to be staring at me, or rather, above me. I looked up. There was a gray owl floating/spinning above my head. _The sign of Athena._ I thought. After scraping some of my food into the fire, I went over to sit at the Athena table. As I passed the Apollo table, I saw Michael Yew and waved to him. He scowled, but surprisingly enough, he waved back. Annabeth started to introduce me to the other Athena kids. There were 11 of us, ranging from 12 year old Angel to 18 year old Jonah. All the Athena kids had gray eyes, and most of them had blond hair. They mainly seemed friendly enough.

After we finished eating, I took my small bag, which had, amazingly enough, survived the hellhound attack, to the Athena cabin. When I stepped inside, I was amazed. The beds were all pushed to one side, and the rest of the cabin was covered in maps, whiteboards, everything you'd need to plan a battle strategy or a monument. "Wow," was just about all I could say. I found an empty bed and set down my bag. I'd unpacked most of my stuff when Annabeth, who appeared to be the cabin leader, announced that it was time for the campfire. We filed out of the cabin.

I was expected the campfire to be just that- a campfire. I was _so _wrong. The fire was about 9 feet tall and lime green, although the color kept shifting, so it was hard to tell exactly what color it was. The Apollo campers were leading some songs, but most of the people were just sitting and talking. Some were roasting marshmallows over the fire. The cabin spread out to sit by their friends. I saw Annabeth go over and sit down by Percy. "Hey! Do you want to sit by us?" said some girls near me.

"Sure!" I said, grateful that I didn't have to ask anybody if I could sit by them. I generally do not have very good social skills and I _hate_ talking to people I don't know. We started talking and I learned that they were daughters of Demeter. One of them, I think it was Katie Gardner, pointed out some of the people from different cabins. The Aphrodite kids were the ones in designer clothes with lots of makeup, the Ares kids were the nasty looking ones, the Hephaestus kids were the ones with large, calloused hands, and the Apollo kids were the ones with blond hair and really bright smiles.

"Of course," Katie added, "Some of them, like Michael Yew, don't smile much, so that can make it harder to tell what cabin they're from unless you know them." About then, a boy about my age came over. He had curly hair, bright blue eyes, and the mischievous look all Hermes kids had.

"Marshmallow?" he asked, holding up a bag and smirking.

"Uh...sure!" I replied. He handed me a marshmallow. "Thanks!" A couple of the Demeter kids took one as well. Still smirking, the boy headed back over to where some of the other Hermes kids were.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Connor Stoll," said Katie. "He and his brother Travis are the leaders of the Hermes cabin and two of the biggest pranksters in camp." She continued pointing out people while I toasted my marshmallow. I took a bite and instantly noticed something different. I chewed the marshmallow for a minute and then got hit by a round of something very spicy. _Jalapeno peppers_, I thought. Just about then, the other girls who had taken marshmallows started noticing the peppers too. Their eyes started watering, and they ran to the big house, presumably for water. Not wanting to seem weak, I sat out the taste. _It's a good thing I like extra spicy salsa, _I thought, _because by now I'm used to jalapeños. However, I will have my revenge on the Stolls, and especially Connor._ "Jalapeños in the marshmallow?" Katie asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Yep," I said. "How'd you know?"

"Because they play it on the new campers a lot." she answered, "Are you going to get revenge?" she queried after a slight pause.

"Yes, but I'm biding my time." I answered. "I'll come up with a plan worthy of Athena, and then they'll regret they ever messed with me. But first, I think I'll see if they have any of those jalapeno marshmallows left. They're pretty good!" I finished, before heading over towards the Stolls.

**A/N- Okay, there's your next chapter. Make it to 5 reviews and I'll post the next one!**

**-smartone101**


	4. 4: Finding talents

**A/N- Wow! 5 reviews! So, as I promised, I'm posting the next chapter of Wait-I'm a Demigod? Enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer- You still think I own PJO? Guess again.**

Chapter 4: Finding my Talents

After feasting upon jalapeno marshmallows at the expense of the Stolls, I joined the rest of the Athena cabin as we headed back to our cabin. Despite the spicy flavor still lingering in my mouth, I promptly fell asleep.

The next day, my first real day at camp, we had archery with the Apollo cabin as the instructors. There were more Apollo kids then Athena kids, so one or two of them would work one on one with one of us. As luck would have it, I got stuck with the scowling Michael Yew, who obviously did not want to be stuck with me either. "Okay, let's get started," he said, "Have you ever shot a bow before?"

"Once or twice," I answered.

"Alright," he replied, handing me a bow. "Shoot it." I did so and missed the target entirely. Michael started pointing out what I had done wrong. Little by little, with Michael's not-so-patient instruction, I could at least hit the target about 75% of the time. "You're doing better," he remarked near the end of the class, "Now let's see those throwing knives of yours. They are missile weapons, so they can be used in this class." I tugged the owls on my earrings and felt them turn into my knives. I threw them at the target and was pleasantly surprised by having them both hit near the bull's-eye. "Pretty good," Michael admitted, looking as surprised as I felt, "Do you mind if I try?"

"I don't mind at all," I said, opening my hands to let the knives come back. I handed them to Michael, who threw them. Surprisingly enough, the knives barely hit the outer ring on the target. I don't think Apollo kids are able to miss entirely with missile weapons, but I'm pretty sure this is the closest they come. After the knives came back to me, I started showing Michael how to throw, while getting some practice in myself. After about 5 minutes, though, we went back to the bow and arrows because Michael said that he was supposed to be teaching me, not me teaching him. After a break from the bow and arrow, my aim had slightly improved, and I was able to hit in the second circle from the center on my last shot.

"Way to go!" Michael said as I was leaving with the rest of the Athena cabin. He actually seemed in a good mood for once, and he managed to crack a small smile instead of his usual scowl.

"Thanks for teaching me!" I replied. Next was foot racing. It turns out that I am not very good at racing. I'm slower then the dryad instructors, which, if you think about it, is like being slower then a tree. Fortunately, a couple of the other Athena kids are as bad at it as I am.

After the torture of foot racing was sword fighting with Percy and the Ares cabin as the instructors. I wound up with George, a 14 year old Ares kid. Like all the others, he was a natural swordfighter and quickly disarmed me. I was using a sword from the weapon shed, since I had to be able to use something in close combat. The sword felt large, unwieldy, and a bit unnatural. However, as I fought, the ADHD that all demigods had kicked in. I began noticing small details in the way George fought and reacting quicker than I normally could have. This started to help and I was able to fight for a bit longer. I still felt a little embarrassed that a kid two years younger then me was able to beat me, especially when I noticed Annabeth using only a knife as she was sparring with Percy. In all, I figured out that I was not very good at sword fighting.

However, after that was lunch, and then was Arts and Crafts. I had been looking forward to this, especially after I found out we could do whatever we wanted. At high school, I had always loved taking sculpture, so I started making a small sculpture of the Empire State Building, which is where Percy had said Mount Olympus was these days. I planned to have a small bit of Mount Olympus visible at the top when I was done, but for now I concentrated on the base of the building. Annabeth gave me tips on how to make it look more realistic. By the end of class I had finished the lowest part of the building and was putting details on the doors.

After Arts and Crafts, we had some time to prepare for Capture the Flag. Athena and Hermes had the flags. We made an alliance with Apollo, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hephaestus. Hermes had Hades, Ares, Aphrodite, and Dionysus. Annabeth came up with the plan that would hopefully let us win. Hephaestus would set traps and then use a sneak attack to try and get the flag. Demeter would provide a distraction. Poseidon and Athena would defend the first part of the woods, and anybody who got past them would have to deal with the Apollo cabin, who were guarding the flag. It seemed like a foolproof plan. Chiron explained the rules. There was no maiming, we could take prisoners, but if we tied them we had to be least ten feet away from them, if not closer, so that nobody was left tied up in the monster-infested woods. Other then that, just about everything was allowed, including using any powers. _Let's see,_ I thought. _That means Percy can use his water powers on the defense. I see why Annabeth put him there. Demeter can use their plant powers, those should be helpful to make their diversion last longer. Hephaestus people can just about sniff out traps, which should help them when they're trying to get the flag. The Apollo cabin have amazing skill with missile weapons like bows and arrows, so they'll be able to hold off attackers for a long time._ It took me a minute to realize I was starting to think more like an Athena camper, analyzing the uses of the different cabins to find the best way to win. Chiron and the Nike cabin were referees, since otherwise whatever side had the Nike cabin would win. I saw Michael Yew and waved. I also saw Connor and Travis Stoll. _Oh, good._ I thought. _This should be fun._ Then we dove into the woods to set up our flag.

**A/N- Okay guys, there's the chapter! The next part will be Capture the Flag. Come on- REVIEW!**


	5. 5: Capture the Flag

**A/N: Sorry I took a while to update, but it was my mom's birthday….anyways, here's chapter five. It might be kind of short.**

**Disclaimer: Would Rick Riordan write fan fiction about his own books?**

Chapter 5: Capture the Flag

After setting the flag at Zeus' fist, we spread out near the stream, which was the border. I settled down by a bush to wait, keeping my hand on one of my knives. The armor I was wearing made it hard to move without making a noise, so I had to try to stay really still. _I hate ADHD,_ I thought. I was rapidly getting bored, and every little noise was making me quickly look around in case somebody was coming towards me. The dryads weren't making my wait easier, either. They kept shooing me away from their trees and bushes.

Finally, I heard a noise like someone walking through the brush. I waited until they sounded closer, then carefully looked around for them. About ten feet away, I saw a kid in armor. He or she was facing away from me, so I couldn't see their face. Whoever it was started to turn around and I threw my first knife. It went through their armor, but hopefully not their shoulder, and partly pinned them to the tree they'd been hiding by. He twisted, trying to see who had pinned them. It was Travis Stoll. I smirked, thinking, _Revenge part one complete._ Part two was obviously Connor. Part three? I was still working on it. "Surprised?" I queried sarcastically..

"What did you just do?" Travis asked. I think he must have been in slight shock over having suddenly been pinned to a tree if that was all he could come up with to say.

"I pinned you to a tree, and will now commence to tie you there." I said, searching under the bush for the rope I had stowed there. I proceeded to tie him to the tree, despite his protestations. I then yanked out my knife, examining it for blood. I found none. Travis had gotten lucky. The knife hadn't even touched him. I turned around and found cold steel on my throat. It appeared that Connor had followed his brother. I jumped back and ducked, spinning to the side and drawing my other knife. I mentally cursed for forgetting to bring my sword, but at least I had my knives. I dodged Connor's slash and let my reflexes take over.

The next few minutes I was too busy dodging and jabbing to think about much. Connor had the advantage of a longer weapon and also had way more experience. I was pretty sure that it was only a matter of time before I made a mistake and Connor won. However, as the fight wore on, I began to see that he wasn't as comfortable with his sword as I was with my knives. I wasn't sure why. Maybe he didn't have a permanent weapon or maybe his sword needed repair. I also started thinking a little about how Annabeth had fought with a knife in the arena. I hadn't seen much, but I had seen a little. I decided to try to disarm Connor. Hitting the flat of his blade with one of my knives, I tried to twist the sword out of his grasp. Sadly, the opposite happened and my knife went flying into the grass and brush. There wasn't enough time for it to come back to me, so I switched my other knife from my left hand to right and kept fighting. I tried to dodge another strike, but wasn't quite fast enough and received a cut on my arm. My knife flew out of my hand. Without a weapon, my only chance was to evade Connor's sword and try to find a pause where I could get my knives. My arm throbbed. "Give up?" Connor panted.

"Never," I replied, taking advantage of Connor's pause to speak to regain my knives. He charged, and the fight continued. I was getting tired fast. I thought Connor might be getting tired too, but his face was completely expressionless, so I couldn't really tell. I gave him a cut on his leg, but that was about all I could do. Then I heard a faint _twang. _Connor stumbled with an arrow in his shoulder and dropped his sword. I took the opportunity to grab it quickly. A conch horn blew in the distance.

"Somebody won." Connor gasped. I looked at him suspiciously, half thinking it was a ploy to get me to drop my guard.

"For once he's not lying. The game's over," said a voice behind me. I turned around.

"Michael Yew? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, Lydia told me she heard you two fighting. Nobody was anywhere near the flag, so I thought I'd come check it out. Want any ambrosia?" he offered, holding out a piece.

"Sure," Connor, Travis, and I all said at the same time. Michael broke the piece into fourths, and after untying Travis, we all had some. We headed back towards the pavilion. We were the last ones to arrive. Somebody handed Michael and I laurels, so I guessed that we had won. We put them on and joined the crowd.

At the campfire that night, I sat by a couple of the Morpheus kids and asked them if they had any sleeping pills. I made up some excuse about someone not being able to sleep very well at night. They said they'd give me some the next day. _Part three in motion,_ I thought. I glanced at the Apollo cabin. Michael Yew was there, playing guitar. He saw me, smiled, and waved. I waved back. _He's actually pretty cute when he's not scowling, _I thought, then: _Wait, I don't like him, do I? How could I? That's impossible. We're nothing more then friends, right?_

**A/N-Sorry if the chapter's short. I'll update soon Remember: reviews=updates!**


	6. 6: Revenge

**A/N-Sorry it took me so long to update! Anyway, here's chapter 6. There may be a POV change in this chapter, but it will start out in Khristi's POV, like it always does. If you don't like it, tell me.**

**Disclaimer: Do I **_**look**_** like I'm RR?**

Chapter 6: Revenge

After the campfire and my confusing thoughts about Michael, I headed to bed with the rest of the sleepy Athena cabin. Unlike the others, though, I was not sleepy. I was planning. I worked out my whole plan, then fell asleep. The next day sped by in a blur. I was busy with activities, and there was almost no time to think about Part 3 of my plan, which was revenge on the Stolls. Parts 1 and 2 I had done yesterday during Capture the Flag, but nobody had seen. Part three was going to embarrass them in front of just about everybody. I had a plan worthy of Athena.

Instead of archery that day, we had some free time. A large group of new campers had come in last night after the campfire, and a lot of them were injured. The Apollo cabin was to busy helping them to teach us. The free time was unexpected, but very welcome. _Perfect,_ I thought, _Now I can gather what I need._

The first stop was the Aphrodite cabin. I had been saving up drachmas that I'd stol- er, found. If you steal it from the Hermes cabin, it's not stealing, right? 'Cause they've stolen it from somebody else…ah, never mind. Anyways, I had the drachmas. I knocked on their door. It was opened by Cathy. _Oh, good, _I thought. Cathy was not as stuck up as some of the other Aphrodite campers. *cough*Drew*cough* "Um, Cathy, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.

"Sure!" I came inside and sat down at the end of her bed.

"So, Cathy, you know the Stolls, right?" I asked. She nodded. "And you know how they always play pranks on people, right?" More nods. "Well, I was going to play a prank on _them _for once, and I was wondering if you could lend me some clothes that would fit them and also hide-"

"-Their clothes? Sure! Anything to get revenge on the Stolls for hiding all our makeup last week!" Cathy exclaimed. This was good. If she hadn't agreed, I'd have had to hide the Stoll's clothes myself. My plan was to slip the sleeping pills, ground up, into Travis and Connor's marshmallows. Once they were asleep, I'd take their clothes, hide them, and replace them with random girls' clothes from the Aphrodite cabin. I also had something else in mind for them, but first things first.

"Okay. Could you get the clothes soon? I'll need them tonight," I said.

"I'll put them on your bed. Nobody will suspect anything. As for the Stolls' clothes, you can put them behind one of the bushes by the Demeter cabin. That way if one of the boys finds them, they'll think Katie did it."

"Katie Gardner?" I asked

"Yep. Travis likes her, and she likes him only she acts like she hates him..," Cathy kept going. As soon as she started with the whole who-likes-who thing, I kind of tuned out. Time to go to my next stop.

"See you later Cathy! Don't forget the clothes!" I said as I exited, glad to be out of the Aphrodite cabin. Next stop: the Hephaestus cabin for some superglue.

The door to the Hephaestus cabin was opened by Jake Mason, the cabin leader. He was big and tough-looking, and he kind of intimidated me. "Hi," I squeaked.

"Hi. What brings you over here, um..."

"Khristi. I just came to see if you have any superglue I could borrow, It sounds a little strange, but I'm planning a prank on the Stolls." I blurted.

"The Stolls? Good luck! You'll need it!" Jake said, grinning, "but if you think you can pull it off, I'll get the glue." He walked back into the cabin and rummaged around for a minute. "Ah, here you go. Good luck!" He handed me a small tube of superglue. _Perfect. Just one more thing,_ I thought as I walked back to the Athena cabin. Cathy's clothes were already on my bed. They looked perfect for what I had in mind for the Stolls. The reason I'd gotten the superglue was to glue their sleeping bags shut. They were the only two in the Hermes cabin who used sleeping bags since there were already sheets on all the beds. Don't ask me why they insisted on having a sleeping bag on top of the sheets. Maybe it was so that nobody could short sheet their beds. I sound like a stalker, but trust me, I'm not. I'd learned all this from Lyssa, the Stolls' half sister. Now I needed a permanent marker. Fortunately, those were all over the Athena cabin. I shoved one in my pocket along with the superglue and stuffed the clothes in my bag. I was ready to prank.

Dinner was pretty normal, even though I've only been at camp for about two or three days. A couple campers were claimed, but nobody was claimed by Athena. After dinner, I crushed the sleeping pills the Morpheus cabin had given me the night before and inserted them into two marshmallows, which I put into a plastic bag that I shoved in my pocket. The Athena cabin was the first one at the campfire. I sat down by myself at first as everyone spread out to their favorite spots. As the arena filled, I spotted the Hermes cabin coming in. I made a mental note of where the Stolls sat. "Do you mind if I sit here?" a voice asked, shattering my thoughts. I whirled around and saw Michael Yew.

"Not at all," I said, "but why aren't you with the rest of your cabin?"

"Well, two strings on my guitar broke, and Will Solace-" here he scowled at a blond boy who was with the rest of the Apollo cabin, "-used the last ones. There wasn't enough time to get more, nobody has a spare guitar, and I don't like singing without playing as well, so I thought I'd come sit by you," He finished, smiling and sitting down.

We talked a little more until everybody started toasting marshmallows. Then I took my injected marshmallows out of my pocket. I explained my prank to Michael and he grinned._ He's really cute when he smiles,_ I thought, and then quickly shook the thought out of my head. _There is no way I'm falling for someone this fast. Right?_ I headed over to the Stolls. "Marshmallow?" I offered, holding the two up and smirking.

"Sure!" they said simultaneously. Did I mention that I hate it when they do that?

"Wait...is there anything in there?" Connor asked.

"Nope. Nothing at all." I said. I felt kind of bad lying to them, but I had to. "I just thought I'd give you something back in return for the jalapeno marshmallows. Those were yummy!" I said, before heading back over to Michael. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the Stolls eating the marshmallows. Cathy caught my eye and waved, grinning. I waved back. The rest of the campfire went normally, or as normally as a campfire can go when you're at Camp Half-Blood. I noticed the Stolls yawning and trying to stay awake. After the campfire, the rest of the Athena cabin fell asleep quickly. I got up, grabbed the clothes from my bag, and snuck over to the Hermes cabin.

The door creaked when I opened it. I could faintly see where the Stolls were sleeping. Travis murmured something about Katie. I tried to remember where Lyssa had said the Stolls kept their clothes. _Ah, yes! Under the beds! _I carefully scooped out their clothes and replaced them with the clothes Cathy had given me. I dug the superglue out of my pocket and unscrewed the cap. Working as quietly as I could, I superglued the zippers and tops of the Stolls' sleeping bags. I smirked. _They'll have some trouble getting out of bed in the morning._ Now, the final part. I took my permanent marker and wrote, "I'm an idiot." on each of their foreheads, along with some other random doodles. Then I carefully snuck out with the clothes, hiding them near the Demeter cabin. I went back to bed smirking and laughing quietly.

-Pagebreak-

_Connor's POV_

I woke up feeling really refreshed. _I haven't slept like that in ages,_ I thought, stretching my arms. Or rather, trying to stretch my arms. They wouldn't come out of the sleeping bag, and I couldn't see far enough to tell what was wrong. The rest of the Hermes cabin was starting to awaken, including my brother Travis. I turned over and looked at him. He seemed to be having the same trouble I was. There was something along the zipper. It was whitish, and seemed to be holding it together. _Superglue! _I felt around in my bag for my pocketknife. I usually have something or other in the bottom of my bag, and I was pretty sure I'd put a pocketknife there. I was right. I found it, flipped it open, and started to cut myself out of my sleeping bag.

While I was working, I thought about who could have been responsible. _Let's see. I slept really well last night. Sleeping pills? Maybe ground up? What would they have been in? Aha, they were in the marshmallows! I shouldn't have believed Khristi when she said there was nothing in them! I was too busy looking at her, I guess. She's so cute when she smirks like that. Wait- what am I thinking? _I pushed the thought out of my mind and concentrated and the present matter. I was finally out of my bag by the time the rest of the Hermes cabin was ready to go. I heard the conch horn blow. Breakfast.

I got out of bed and checked under the bed for my clothes. I pulled out-sparkly skinny jeans? A v-neck top? High heels? I kept pulling out stuff and kept finding the same sort of stuff. Travis looked over at me. "This is bad." he said. The understatement of the century.

**A/N- Finally! A longer chapter! What did you think? Was Connor being OOC? Reviews=updates!**

**-smartone101**


	7. 7: Breakfast

**A/N- Connor Stoll: Smartone101 was being uncooperative and refused to post the next chapter. We had to…um…deal with her and post the chapter ourselves. **

**Michael Yew: Much thanks to everyone who reviewed. Deaddog (smartone101: Hey! That's my lil' sis!), look out. I'm not dead, and if you say that again, Connor and I'll track you down and…um…**_**deal **_**with you.**

**Disclaimer: smartone101 does not own PJO.**

Chapter 7: Breakfast

_Khristi's POV_

At breakfast, I was sitting with the rest of the Athena cabin and trying not to laugh. The Hermes cabin was late for breakfast, and I was one of the only ones who knew why. It seems that the rest of the Hermes cabin wouldn't come down without their cabin leaders, and their leaders, the Stolls, were having some….difficulties. Finally, the Hermes cabin came in, but without the Stolls. I was having a hard time trying not to crack up. I glanced over at the Apollo table to see their reactions. Michael was watching the Hermes cabin file in, but I managed to catch the eye of his little sister, Ami Yew. Michael had told me a lot about her last night. Ami was 13, 4'4", and had a black belt in karate. She plays the clarinet, but she doesn't just play classical. She can play _anything._ She plans on joining the Hunters of Artemis the next time they visit camp. She waved at me and whispered something in Michael's ear. He blushed, then looked over and gave me a thumbs-up. Ami went back to glaring at Tucker, a 14 year old Ares boy. Apparently they were rivals in everything. He'd scoffed at her abilities at first, but then Ami had knocked him out in a one-on-one challenge.

We'd all settled down and started eating when we heard footsteps. I looked up and saw the Stolls, who looked like they were trying to sneak in without being noticed. They were both wearing skinny jeans and v-neck shirts. I cracked up. They were the tallest people in the Hermes cabin, so they'd had no choice except to come to breakfast in the clothes that had been "provided" for them. They both looked really embarrassed. The whole camp cracked up. The Stolls turned bright red. "Hey, Stolls!" I yelled.

"What?"

"Have you seen your face? Or rather, what's on them?" They looked at each other.

"Travis, what does mine say?" Conner asked.

"I'm an idiot."

"I _know_ you're an idiot, but what is on my head?"

"Connor, that is what is says on your head. It says: I'm an idiot."

" So it says 'Travis is an idiot'" Connor reasoned.

"Connor, do I have to spell it out for you? It says: I-apostrophe-m-space-a-n-space-i-d-i-o-t-period."

"Wow, how'd they fit all that on my forehead. I don't think there's enough room for: eye apostrophe em space ay en space-"

"Connor, shut up!" Travis yelled. One of the Aphrodite campers gave Connor a mirror. He took a look in it and gasped.

"My face! Who could do this to my wonderful face!"

"Connor, stop being so melodramatic!" Ami yelled.

"Huh? What's melodramatic?"

"Melodramatic means being too dramatic. Like Zeus." I said. Thunder rumbled. "Oops! Sorry Zeus!" I added as an afterthought.

"Oh."

"Connor, what does it say on _my_ face?" Travis asked.

"I'm an idiot."

"Oh, wow, the great Connor Stoll is admitting that he's an idiot!" Travis exclaimed dramatically.

"No, Travis. It says the same thing it does on mine."

"But that doesn't make sense! Why would somebody write 'the same thing it does on mine' on my forehead?" Travis asked. Connor handed him the mirror. Travis gasped.

"Who could be responsible for this?" he moaned.

"Alright. Trevor and Cathy Stale, if you're done with your little bit of playacting, you can go sit down." Mr. D said, looking very bored.

"What! My name is not Cathy! I'm not a girl!" Connor said, apparently not listening to Mr. D's instructions. Travis pulled Connor to the Hermes table. Most of the campers were rolling on the floor laughing. I stopped the recording on my camera and tucked it into my pocket. _I'll have to upload that to Youtube the next chance I get, _I thought, _Not to mention finding a way to project it onto the cabin wall._ By that time, breakfast was about over, and everybody was starting to spread out and go to their activities. I saw the Stolls coming over to me. "Were you the one who did all this?" Connor asked. Both Stolls looked mad. I nodded and took off running. I heard them following me. I swerved into the woods, hoping to throw them off my trail.

**A/N-There you go! Hope you liked it! Sorry it was kind of short! Reviews equal updates! *throws a shoe at Michael and Connor***

**Connor: Where do you get this many shoes?**

**Me: They're not mine! They're my sister's!**


	8. 8: In the Woods

**A/N-Sorry for the wait. I've been kind of busy. Here's chapter 8! Read! Enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer: You know it. I know it. I don't own PJO.**

Chapter 8: In the woods

I ran through the woods, branches hitting my face. I could hear the Stolls behind me. For children of Hermes, they were really noisy. I dodged a tree and turned right, hoping to throw them off my trail. I heard one of them, I think it was Travis, shout something. All I heard was "Stop! It's-" and then a word I didn't quite hear. Seeing as the Stolls had just found out I pranked them, I wasn't going to listen to anything they said. I kept running, and I could still hear them behind me. After a while, I was starting to tire out. Children of Athena might be really smart, but they weren't quite as athletic as people from some other cabins.

I finally stopped when I hit a clearing. I was really out of breath. I could hear the Stolls getting closer. If I kept running, they'd see me. There wasn't anywhere to hide except- a tree. _Why?_ I thought. I hate climbing trees. I used to try at home, but I never made it very far. _Well, it's the only way,_ I thought, and started climbing. Fortunately, there were a lot of low branches, so I had some pretty easy going. I had gotten situated on a good-sized branch when the Stolls burst into the clearing. "Where'd she go?" Conner asked. I resisted the urge to say, "I'm right above you, dummy!" That might not have turned out well. I looked around and realized that I had no idea where I was. And that was when I saw the ant.

It was about as long as I was tall. Is was a reddish brown, and it looked mad. It was coming up behind the Stolls. I didn't want to shout, because that would alert them that I was here. I grabbed one of my knives and threw it. It bounced off the ant's shell with a clang. I cursed under my breath as the knife flew back to my hand. The Stolls turned around and saw the ant. I threw my other knife. The ant's head fell to the ground as it crumbled into dust. The Stolls looked up and saw me. "Um…hi?" I said.

"What did you just do?" Travis asked.

"I… um, beheaded the ant from up in this tree."

"Did you know that when one of those is killed, it sends out a signal to any others in the area?" Connor asked.

"No, but at least you two didn't get sprayed with acid, which they also do." I said. Three more ants came into the clearing. "What should we do? Fight them?"

"No, if we fight, they'll just bring more." Connor said.

"Well, we're too slow to outrun them. I wish we had a child of Aeolus with us. They could probably use their wind powers…" I stopped as I realized that while I had been thinking out loud, the ants had been advancing, "I've got it! Climb the tree! Quick!" The boys started climbing. I started to climb higher. We stopped about halfway up the tree to rest for a moment. The ants swarmed around the foot of the tree. Two more ants joined them. One of the newcomers sprayed acid at us. It hit Travis' shoe, which he quickly removed.

"The acid eats through most stuff, so it's best to stay away from it," he explained.

"How'd you know that?"

" 'Cause we've been at camp longer then you have," Connor added, smirking. I couldn't help thinking, _even when we're in danger of being eaten by ants, Connor can't stop smirking. That's so irritating._

We climbed higher, but the tree started to bend over. A face popped out of the trunk. "Shoo!" it said. I jumped and nearly fell out of the tree.

"Okay, what do we do next?" Connor asked, "If we climb down, we get sprayed, captured, and later eaten by ants. If we stay here, we'll still get sprayed," I could see he was starting to panic.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked.

"What?" Travis said.

"Just tell me. Do you know where we are?"

"Yeah. The Ant Hill is that way," he pointed towards the clearing. "and the camp is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction."

"Okay. Move to this side of the tree," I said, pointing towards camp. We all moved as the tree bent that way. "Now, grab a branch from the next tree, the big pine, and let go of this tree. Try not to fall, and try to do it at the same time so none of us gets left behind."

"Are you sure this will work?" Connor asked.

"Um, no, because I've never been in this situation before. Besides, things can't get much worse, can they?" I said as a gob of acid barely missed my face.

"Well, they could, because we could be eate-" Travis started

"Shut up and get ready to jump" I interjected. We all reached out for a branch at the same time. As we grabbed hold and let go of our original branches, the tree we had been on flew back up in the air and the tree we were on started to bend a little. "Wow! That was harder then I thought it would be!" I gasped. "Do you want to rest a minute or should we do it again?"

"Rest a minute," the Stolls said at the same time. I hate it when they do that. We waited a minute to see if the ants had realized we had switched trees. They seemed to realize something funny was going on, but they stayed by the tree we had just left. Once we had gotten our breath back, we started to lean towards another tree.

After going from tree to tree until the ants were out of sight, we dropped to the ground. We rested for a moment, then started running back towards camp. Once we made it back to camp, we collapsed on the ground, gasping. "Never, _ever,_ make me do that again," I panted.

"Same here," the Stolls said simultaneously. I think they know that I hate it when they do that. Ami Yew came rushing up.

"Hi guys! What happened? I thought you were goners for sure!" She squealed.

"We ran…all the way…to the Ant Hill," Connor started.

"And got attacked… by giant ants," Travis continued.

"So we climbed a tree and started tree jumping until we were clear of them." I finished.

"Tree jumping? What's that?" Michael said, coming up. We gave a pretty detailed explanation of tree jumping and of our whole escapade in general. It turns out we had been gone most of the morning, with all our tree jumping and that stuff. Once we finished explaining, we heard the conch horn blow for lunch.

"This better be a big lunch," I murmured, " 'cause tree jumping is sure conductive to a big appetite."

**A/N- Okay, there we go! Tell me what you though of it!**

**-smartone101**


	9. 9: Singing? Really?

**A/N-Hi guys! Here's chapter 9! Wow...chapter 9...we've come a long way. Read! Enjoy! Review! Oh, yes…read the a/N at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Got it?**

Chapter 9: Singing? Really?

I was about halfway through my lunch when Mr.D stood to give announcements. "Alright, you brats, listen up!" he said, "Chiron and I received an IM this morning requesting Chrissa Jackson, Cole and Trevor Steal, and Micah Yew, to come to Olympus immediately, along with.." He droned on, reading a few other names off his list. Connor, Travis, Michael, me, and the others stood up.

"When do we go? And how do we get there?" Michael asked.

" You go now." A voice said. There was a flash, and we were standing somewhere I assumed was Olympus. "And you get there because I teleported you." continued the voice. We turned around and saw a stately looking woman with black hair. The others bowed, and Connor motioned for me to do so too.

"Lady Athena," he said.

"Why are we here?" Michael asked.

"It is Apollo's birthday today. The council hasn't given him a present in a few years-"

"A few millennia," Connor whispered to me. I nearly started laughing.

"-and so I thought maybe we should give him one this year. Now, you all know that Apollo is the god of music."

"Of course I know. He's my dad." Michael murmured.

"Yes," the rest of us chorused.

"So, today you are going to sing him some of his favorite songs. I convinced Hermes to ask him what some his favorite songs are. Apparently Apollo has very varied tastes in music. Nobody in the council likes to sing except Apollo, so we chose some demigods-"

"Us?" Travis asked. Athena nodded, "but we don't sing either. Well, Michael does, but the rest of us don't."

"You will. Besides, I doubt that Apollo will really care if you mess up." said a new voice as Artemis appeared beside Athena. Immediately afterwards, Hermes appeared, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Connor and Travis, you're singing 'Uprising'. I think you'll like it," added Hermes. I was surprised by how much Connor looked like his dad.

"I don't even know what it sounds like!" he said. Hermes held up ipods and handed them out to us. I had a feeling that they had been stolen.

"So then what am I singing?" Michael asked.

"You and Khristi are singing 'Let's see how far we've come'," said Artemis. I turned the ipod on and put the buds in my ears while the others were receiving their songs. _Let's see what this sounds like._ I thought. Immediately, the song started playing. I grinned._ This is my kind of song._ I could see Michael was as happy with it as I was.

After we'd all heard our songs, one of the other demigods, I think she was a child of Aphrodite, asked what we were going to wear. I mentally groaned. I hate dressing up fancily. The Stolls looked about as happy about the idea as I felt.

"Don't worry, we have it all figured out," Athena said. "You are going to Aphrodite's palace, and she will help you get ready." Aphrodite appeared and we teleported to her palace. As I expected, it was mainly pink and had lots of clothes, makeup, and jewelry-yuck!

Fortunately, Aphrodite started helping the other kids first. Michael and I found a couple chairs and started planning and practicing. By the time Aphrodite was done with the others, we had our song down. Athena had given us a program of who was singing when. I found our names at the bottom of the list. _Great, _I thought, _I hate singing last._ Even that couldn't keep me down, though. I had seen my mom! In my opinion, she looked a little stern, but you could almost sense her wisdom.

Finally, Aphrodite got around to us. I still couldn't decide what she looked like. It was like she was shifting to my idea of beauty. For a moment, she looked like my mom, except nicer, but then she shifted again. I shook my head to clear my brain. "Okay, what are you two singing?" she asked.

"We're singing 'Let's see how far we've come'" I said, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with how you look!" Aphrodite said, "but since you're singing that, I don't think you'll need anything." she finished, before walking over to help a Demeter kid with her hair. I did a mental fist pump._ Yes!_ I was wearing my favorite jeans and a light grey t-shirt that matched my eyes. My long hair was pulled back in a ponytail. I looked over at Michael, who was humming and listening to his ipod. He was wearing jeans and a camp t-shirt and his hair looked like he had just run a mile or so. If this was how we were supposed to look, I liked it.

Aphrodite teleported us to the amphitheater. All the gods were sitting there, but Apollo was in the very front. I was starting to get nervous, but then Connor and Travis walked out on the stage and started singing "Uprising" and all my worries went out the window…

-it's a random page break!-

_1 hour and 7 songs later…_

I was really nervous. I didn't see how Michael could perform with his cabin in front of the whole camp. "It's easy," Michael said.

"Wha- was I thinking out loud?"

"Yes, you were. But anyways, what you do is you pretend you're somewhere else, where nobody's around to see you. Oh, look, we're on!" We walked out on the stage…

_Michael: Hello, hello, hello_

The music started. I waited for the cue. And- now!

_Khristi: I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world, But it's feeling just like every other morning before, Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone, _

_Michael: The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour if thatAnd I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbyeCan you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time? _

Now everybody was starting to get with the beat. After I had started I figured out I didn't even need to imagine I was anywhere.

_Both: But I believe the world is burning to the groundOh well I guess we're gonna find outLet's see how far we've comeLet's see how far we've comeWell I, believe, it all, is coming to an endOh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend, Let's see how far we've comeLet's see how far we've comeKhristi: I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really knowThen I can't remember caring for an hour or soStarted crying and I couldn't stop myselfI started running but there's no where to run to_

_Michael: I sat down on the street and took a look at myselfSaid where you going man you know the world is headed for he**Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to_

_Both: I believe the world is burning to the groundOh well I guess we're gonna find outLet's see how far we've comeLet's see how far we've comeWell I, believe, it all, is coming to an endOh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend, Let's see how far we've comeLet's see how far we've comeMichael: It's gone gone baby it's all gone There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home_

_Khristi: It was cool cool, it was just all coolNow it's over for me and it's over for you_

_Michael: Well it's gone gone baby it's all gone There is no one on the corner and there's no one at homeWell it was cool cool, it was just all cool_

_Both: Now it's over for me and it's over for youBut I believe the world is burning to the groundOh well I guess we're gonna find outLet's see how far we've comeLet's see how far we've comeWell I, believe, it all, is coming to an endOh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend, Let's see how far we've come (x9)_

We finished, and the amphitheater burst into applause. I felt great. Then of course, the Stolls had to run out on stage and start up:

_Happy birthday to you_

_Happy birthday to you_

_Happy birthday dear Apollo…._

_Happy birthday to you._

They set down the microphone, but I picked it up and started a second verse.

_How old are you now?_

_How old are you now? _

_How old is Apollo?How old are you now?_

Apollo turned red as Thalia (not that Thalia. I mean Thalia, the muse of comedy.) shouted out "1,234,654,768!" The rest of the amphitheater burst into laughter. I guess I'm developing the sense of humor of a Hermes kid!

**A/N- There we go! Don't worry, I'm not going to make this a big songfest. It was just this once. Now…**

**Connor: *throws shoe at hot pepper, aka deaddog aka my little sister* and that one is for stealing our line!**

**Deaddog: mphh *talking through a gag***

**Michael: and that is what happens when you mess with us, folks. Let this little intruder serve as a warning.**

**Connor: I like this whole endless supply of shoes thing. *throws another shoe***

**REVIEW! Reviews=updates!**


	10. 10: It's prank time!

**A/N- Chapter 10. I need your opinions: Should there be a quest or not? It's up to you guys! (and me too, kinda)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

**Michael: you don't own me either!**

**Connor: or me!**

**Percy: or me!**

**Nico: or me!**

**Smartone101: shut up already and let me get on with the chapter!**

Chapter 10: It's prank time!

"Dude! That was awesome!" Apollo exclaimed to Michael afterwards. Michael didn't really look much like his dad. Apollo had blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile so big and white that I was almost afraid I'd go blind if I started at it too long. Michael had the same eyes but dark brown hair. He rarely smiled, and when he did, it wasn't quite like Apollo's. Michael's smile was more grim, like the smile of someone who'd been through a lot. It was mildly confusing that Apollo, who had been through a lot more than Michael, would have the more optimistic outlook. _Wait. Why am I comparing Michael and Apollo? Stupid sub-consciousness, _I thought.

"Thanks, dad. And, by the way, happy birthday," Michael said, looking a little embarrassed. I decided to kind of sneak away so I wouldn't be intruding on their father-son moment. As luck- or fate- would have it, I ran into Hermes and the Stolls. Unlike Michael and Apollo, you could mistake the three of them for brothers. They all had the same sandy hair, twinkling blue eyes, and mischievous grins. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"-so, after that, we'll-" Hermes broke off when he saw me. "hi, um…Khristi, right?"

"Yep, that's me. Sorry, I didn't want to intrude. I'd better go." I mumbled.

"No, you can stay. Connor and Travis were just telling me about what's been going on at camp. Right, boys?"

"Um… right," Connor said, turning beet red. I guessed that he had told Hermes about my prank on them.

"So, you pranked my boys yesterday?" Hermes asked. He looked genuinely interested, which was something that the other gods never did. I think they were all more concerned in what was happening to them, right then, or what was going to happen or- ah, whatever. Forget it.

"Um…yes. Yes I did." the Stolls turned a brighter shade of red, if that was possible.

Hermes laughed, "You must be pretty good at it, then. The last time they were pranked… when was that?"

"um… like, 5 or 6 years ago. Luke-" Travis broke off. Hermes looked sad for an instant, then brightened up.

"Never mind. The past is the past. Boys, do you think we could use another set of hands for our-"

"Yep," the Stolls chorused. Did I mention that I hate it when they do that?

"Alright, then. We're planning a prank on Aphrodite," Hermes said. _This could be interesting, _I thought.

"What are you planning to do, then?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to need somebody else's help. Athena?"

"No," said Connor, "Athena might be a good strategist, but she's also friends with Aphrodite. Artemis?"

"Nope," Travis said, "The goddesses usually stick together. Poseidon?"

"No way. He's way too serious for a prank like this," Hermes stated.

"Apollo?" I suggested.

"Yep," all three chorused. _Grrrr...I hate that. _

"That'll work. Plus, he owes me one for helping him with that prank on Artemis," Hermes said.

" So, what exactly are we going to do?" I asked.

"Athena's kid through and through," Hermes muttered, almost to himself. He continued out loud. "We're going to break into Aphrodite's palace and replace all her perfumes with stuff like skunk spray and-"

"Ok, I know what you're getting at," I said hurriedly, before he could start listing grosser things.

"No, you don't know the whole thing," Hermes said, "After we do that, we replace all her dresses with armor."

"Dude! Awesome!" Connor shouted. Travis glared at him.

"Quiet," he hissed, "New armor?"

"No, old armor that's been used a ton," Hermes said, "She hates that stuff."

"But where are we gonna get all that armor?" Connor asked.

"Hephaestus has a bunch. I think he was working on improving it, but he hasn't gotten around to it yet because of the war-" Hermes broke off suddenly, looking saddened again.

"What happened in the war?" I hissed to the Stolls.

"Luke, the former head of the Hermes cabin, joined Kronos and became his new body. In the end, he repented and killed himself, saving us all, but Hermes doesn't like to talk about it," Connor hissed back.

"You know Connor, you could have just said that out loud," Hermes said dryly, " Remember that I can hear everything you say. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get Apollo." With that, he started to glow. I closed my eyes, and a moment later, Hermes was back with Apollo.

"Dude, what was that for?" Apollo asked. Hermes quickly explained to him. Apollo grinned, "" We divided up jobs. Travis and Hermes would take care of the perfumes, Connor would keep Aphrodite distracted if she thought about going back to her palace, and Apollo and I would swap the dresses for the armor. Apollo had wanted Hermes to do that, since he was better at stealing, but Hermes gave Apollo a whiff of the "perfumes" they'd use and Apollo changed his mind.

"Um…Apollo, where are we going to put all these?" I asked as we stacked up Aphrodite's slinky dresses.

"I don't know… Should we ask Hermes?" Apollo answered.

"No, we probably shouldn't bother him. Do you know a good spot?"

"Wait…a haiku."

I groaned. "Now?"

"_We're sneaking around_

_Stealing Heffie's armor and_

_Aphrodite's clothes."_

"Heffie?"

"Aphrodite's name for Hephaestus."

"Ah. I see. But back to topic. Where do we put these?"

"Um…wait a second. I feel an idea coming on." I rolled my eyes.

"What's your brilliant idea?" I said sarcastically.

"Hey," Apollo pouted, "Be nice. I can still blast you to pieces." Oops. Apollo was so much like any other teenager that I'd almost forgotten he was a god.

"Would anyone suspect if we stashed them in your car?"

"Huh?"

"_Your car._ Also called the sun chariot."

"Oh yeah, that'll work. Do we have all the dresses?"

"Yup," I said, picking up the dresses. Apollo teleported us to his palace, where he has his car. Even though I'm not big on cars, I have to admit I was pretty impressed. "Cool car."

"I know, isn't it?" We stashed the dresses in the trunk.

"Next stop: Hephaestus' forge," I said, "How are we gonna get there?"

" Well, I could teleport us, but what would be the fun of that when we could just take the car?" He flashed that trademark grin. I couldn't help grinning back. He hopped in the driver's seat and I took shotgun.

-it's a random page break-

_About 5 minutes later_

"Wow!" I said stepping from the car. Let's just say it's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights. "Couldn't you have taken a shorter route?"

"Well, yes, I could. But then I wouldn't have been able to impress you with the car. Hold it. There's a haiku coming on."

"Not another one!"

"_I drive my cool car_

_All over Mount Olympus._

_Khristi is impressed."_

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Apollo, but isn't a haiku supposed to be about some small moment in nature?"

"Well, yes, it is, but I'm too awesome for those rules." I rolled my eyes as we entered the storage room. Amazingly enough, there weren't any traps. I guess Hephaestus doesn't think anyone would try to steal his stuff. Sure enough, there was a big pile of rusty old armor in the back of the room. We each grabbed as much as we could carry and brought it back to the car. Then we each went back in for a second round.

"Are you sure Hephaestus won't miss this armor?"

"I'm positive. It's been sitting up there for a long time." We hopped back in the car. I got ready for another crazy ride. This time, though, Apollo drove smoothly, so that the armor wouldn't shift and fall. In almost no time at all, we were back at Aphrodite's.

It took a couple trips for us to get the armor in and to clear away all evidence.

"Hi guys," a voice said behind us. We whirled around and saw Connor. I was confused until I saw the slight shimmering in the air. An IM.

"Hi Connor," I said, "Why are you IM-ing?"

"Well, Aphrodite got bored and said she'd go back to her palace to change for dinner, and I couldn't stop her. You'd better get dad and Travis and hurry out of there." he swiped his hand through the message and it disappeared. Apollo and I looked at each other.

"We'd better hurry," he said. We hurried along the hall until we found Travis and Hermes finishing up.

"Guys, get out of here. Aphrodite's coming, and we're not sure when she'll be here."

"Just a second," Travis said, as he planted a small camera near the ceiling, "There. I'm done. Let's get out of here." Apollo teleported us out and we wound up in his car. I knew his car was a two-seater, but it had somehow expanded to accommodate us. Connor and Hermes were in back and Apollo and I were in front again. He drove us up to the throne room where the rest of the campers were waiting for us.

Right before Athena teleported us back to camp, I heard Apollo call, "Khristi, look on your bed!" _What is on my bed?_ I thought. When we arrived back at camp, it was about time for dinner. I ate quickly, then ran to the Athena cabin. I looked on the bed and almost started crying. On the bed was a CD case and my laptop computer. On the case was a photo of me and a smiling older boy. _I know that photo._ The title was "Our favorite songs". On top of the case was a post-it note. On the note was a haiku:

_Memories return_

_Courtesy of Apollo_

_Do not run from them._

"Thank you Apollo," I murmured. I ran my fingers over the boy's face. "Lucas," I said, before I broke down in tears.

-a page break-

_Flashback- 5 years ago_

I sat at a small table with an older boy. Lucas. My older half-brother. His mother had died when he was born. He had his guitar, and on the table was our recording equipment. "Here we go, Khristi," he said in his soft accent. "This will hold all our memories and our songs together. Forever. If anything ever happens to me-"

"Nothing could happen, Lucas. You'll always be here, won't you?"

"I hope so. I hope so."

_End of Flashback_

"Lucas. Lucas." I kept saying his name and crying. That was about the state Michael Yew found me in when he walked in to the cabin.

**A/N-did you like it? Review! Please? Everything will be explained next time.**


	11. 11: Letting it all Out

**A/N- c'mon people. If you read this story at all, review and please answer the question- Do you want a quest? And how's the story doing? Here's chapter 11. It will contain at least one POV change. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I'm running out of creative ways to do this, so I hired Malcolm! Take it away, Malcolm!**

**Malcolm: smartone101 does not own the characters of this story, nor does she own the word a, or the word the, or-**

**Smartone101:you know I hired you because I thought you'd actually do a competent job right?**

**Malcolm:-or the word or, or the word-**

**Smartone101: Whatever. On with the story.**

Chapter 11: Letting it all Out

_Michael's POV_

I walked into the Athena cabin to get Khristi for the campfire, right? So I go in there and she's sitting on the bed, holding a CD case and crying. For a minute I just stood there and stared. Khristi didn't seem like someone who would cry often. I guess there's a first for everything. So, I'm standing there, looking like an idiot, trying to think of something to say. I hear myself saying, "Khristi?" and I mentally face-palm myself. _Is that the best thing you could think of to say? Really?_ She raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes were red.

"Michael?" I nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I…um…was coming to see if you were going to be at the campfire," I said lamely. I dropped my guitar case and came over and sat on the edge of her bed. "What happened?"

"You know how, right before we left Olympus, Apollo told me to look on my bed?"

"This is what was there?" I asked. She nodded. I picked up a post-it note that had been on the bed by her. "What's this?"

"That was the note Apollo left." I read it over and managed a quick smile. The note was a haiku. Typical Apollo.

"What does it mean?" I asked. Apollo's haikus will occasionally have some meaning in them, even if most of them are so stupid I almost crack up. Khristi handed me the CD case. On it was a photo of her and a smiling boy who looked about my age. He had wavy-ish black hair, light tan skin, and smiling hazel eyes. He and Khristi were sitting on a park bench beside the ocean. Se looked younger, maybe 12 or 13. "Who's that?" I asked.

"That was Lucas," She said. A tear tracked it's slow way down her cheek. "He was my older half brother. His mom- my dad's wife- died when he was born. A couple years later, I showed up on the doorstep from Mount Olympus. We were always so close." Two more tears dropped into her lap. "He played the guitar," she pointed to the guitar leaning against the bench. We'd sometimes make up songs together. Or we'd just sing our favorites. We made this CD together a couple years before he went to Kuwait. He was in the army. They said he was in the safest place there was over there, that he'd probably come home to us after four years. But he didn't. He didn't. We never saw him again." More tears. I wasn't sure what to say. _What do you say when someone tells you that their brother died? _I thought.

"I'm sorry," I said. _That was a stupid thing to say,_ my brain said, _you idiot, it's obvious that you're sorry._ Then I said the first thing in my head, "What songs are on there?" motioning in the general direction of the CD.

"That's the thing. I don't remember. The day I heard the news, I got mad. I don't' know what at. I think just life in general. I grabbed the first thing I saw and threw it. It went out the window. I realized I'd thrown Lucas' CD. I went down there, but I didn't' find it. It was the only CD we'd made together. It was pretty much the last thing of his I had. I've always remembered him, but we hadn't had any pictures of him or anything and I was starting to forget him and pushed his memories to the back of my mind. Then, seeing this,-"

"-they all came back in a flood," I finished. She nodded, "Do you think you'll be coming to the campfire?"

"No," she was starting to calm down, "I think I'll stay here. I'll probably listen to this, if there's anything left to listen to. This must have some scratches after falling out my window, and who knows where it's been since then." She reached over, picked up the case, and opened it. "Not a scratch," she said. There was a short pause, where I realized that I'd unconsciously put my hand on hers. I pulled away. "Are you going to the campfire?"

"Well, I was going to. I'm not sure I will anymore. Would you mind if I stuck around and listened to this with you, or would that be.."

"Intrusive? No, not at all. You can stay."

We sat there for a minute or two. Khristi took a deep breath. "You ready for this?" I asked, picking up the CD.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I put the CD into the computer and got it started.

-it's a random page break-

_Khristi's POV_

I took a deep breath as Michael got the CD started. This had so many memories. My memories. Lucas' memories. Our songs, that we'd worked on for so many hours at night, and songs that just summarized how we felt, or who we were. Our dreams, in their own way, were in there. Then the music started, and I relaxed. _I forgot just how beautiful Lucas' voice sounded, _I thought. I remembered how when I was little I'd thought Lucas had stolen an angel's voice. I closed my eyes. A couple tears leaked out, then no more.

A couple songs had gone by when I heard some notes twining around Lucas' voice and his guitar. They were unfamiliar at first, until I realized that it was me playing the flute Lucas had given me for my 10th birthday. "Who's playing the flute?" Michael asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Oh, well, that was actually me," I said. I could feel my cheeks heating up a little.

"How old were you?"

"I was…12 I think. Maybe 13." I replied

"Hmph. For a 12-or-13 year old you weren't half bad."

"Thanks." We sat there in silence for a while. Then I spoke, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the campfire? You can if you want to."

"Nah. I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Khristi. I'm fine." We listened to the rest of the songs in silence. Just as the last one was finishing, I felt Michael's hand on mine again. This time, I didn't pull away. Then a voice completely interrupted the music.

"Hey! Michael! What are you doing in here?" My eyes snapped open and our hands jerked apart. I looked up and saw my older brother Jonah. He looked a little upset. _Oh, boy. Here it comes, _I thought. Jonah was a little um…overprotective… of his younger siblings.

"Jonah. Calm down. It's okay," Michael said.

"What -exactly- were you two doing in here?"

"Well, Jonah, first of all, it's none of your business," I said, feeling a little angry, "But if you absolutely_ have_ to know, we were listening to music. Nothing more."

"Couldn't you have just come to the campfire and listened to music there? The _rest_ of the Apollo cabin was there."

"Do I have to go into excess detail? I found a CD of music that my brother made. He's dead. Michael came in to see if I was going to the campfire. He saw me crying, and ended up hearing the whole story. He decided to stick around and listen to the music. Satisfied?"

" I guess. But let's hope your little_ friend_ here remembers next time that two campers from different cabins aren't supposed to be alone in the same cabin. Of course, he's never been one for rules." I was starting to get a little mad. Michael and Jonah were having a full out glaring war. I suddenly remembered that Michael and Jonah had never really gotten along. It was something about rules… _Oh, great. What did I just get myself into? _

"Um…well, I guess I'd better go," said Michael. He jumped up and practically ran out of the cabin. I couldn't' help but sympathize. The wrath- er, over-protectiveness of Jonah was not something anyone would want to stick around for.

Jonah gave me quite an inquisition on exactly what had conspired before he would let me go to sleep. _He should be a police interrogator. _I thought as I fell asleep, the last chords of Lucas' songs still echoing in my mind.

**A/N- there's chapter 11. There probably won't be much more about Lucas because I don't want this getting all angst-y. By the way, was that too angst-y? How was it? Should there be a quest? Your opinions matter, so REVIEW!**

**-smartone101**


	12. 12: Dreams

**A/N- Well, I gave you guys a chance to answer whether you want a quest or not. You didn't answer, so I get to decide. There…will be a quest. And a traitor. You will see. Oh, yes, here's chapter 12. There will be POV changes.**

**Disclaimer- Malcolm did such a horrible job last time, so I decided to hire Percy to do the disclaimer. Percy, take it away.**

**Percy: take what away?**

**Me: the disclaimer.**

**Percy: what disclaimer? There's nothing here.**

**Me: Ah, forget it. I don't own PJO. If I did, Jason wouldn't exist. Happy?**

Chapter 12: Dreams

_Khristi's POV_

A couple weeks went by. Archery, sword fighting, Arts and Crafts, Ancient Greek, etc. I finally beat George in sword fighting, but not with my sword, which I had kind of abandoned. I much preferred fighting with my knives. Even though they were meant to be thrown, they could also be used for hand-to-hand combat. I learned how to use a shield, which I despised. If you use a shield, how can you fight with both hands? I much preferred fighting with no shield and just my knives. I also deemed armor somewhat necessary but very inconvenient. If you have armor, you are well guarded on all sides, but sometimes you don't have it. Also, if you don't have armor, you can avoid strikes more easily. But enough about armor, shields, and sword fighting in general. That was by far my least favorite class.

In archery, I was getting moderately better. Michael was, in a way, my permanent instructor, even though we were supposed to switch teachers a lot. We always spent the last part of class working with my knives instead of a bow and arrow. I was steadily improving on the use of a bow and arrows, but I still preferred my knives.

In Arts and Crafts, I had finished the Empire State building. I am now working on a sword with one of the Hephaestus campers. Let's just say that I'm _not_ very good at forging things. I think I'll go back to sculpture before I kill somebody…

Speaking Ancient Greek comes naturally. Writing, reading, and translating it? Not so much. I hate dyslexia. Plus, Annabeth is the teacher for Ancient Greek, and she's not very patient with anybody who not as smart as she is. And since almost nobody is as smart as Annabeth, she's not very patient with most people. At least I'm not doing much worse then anybody else. Percy, for example, is a natural at speaking Greek, but translating it is a big problem for him.

I'm not getting much better at foot racing. I don't see how people like the Hermes kids can be that fast. Although, I suppose having to run away after a prank so you don't get killed is a good incentive…

Climbing walls are _not _my forte. I'm nearly killed every time. Note to self: keep hair up. You don't want to have some of it singed off like what happened to that poor girl from Demeter. Also: Don't wear clothes that are super loose. I heard that a Nemesis camper did that and ended up with a bunch of holes in his clothes.

The Fourth of July came and went. We didn't do to much to celebrate. There were fireworks on the beach. The Hephaestus cabin is _amazing_ at making fireworks. I started out by myself, but ended up with Michael, the Stolls, and a missing wallet.

In other words, it was camp as usual. Or at least it was until the night we had variations on the same dream. After a campfire, I went to the Athena cabin as usual and fell asleep. I had a couple random dreams, then they disappeared and I was standing at the edge of a hug pit, black and so wide I couldn't see the other side. I could tell a couple people were with me, but they were behind me and for some reason I didn't turn around to see who they were. Then I heard a couple quick footsteps and was pushed hard. I stumbled forward and started falling. I grabbed the edge and held on for my life. I heard a dark, deep voice say from the pit, "Come to me. Just let go," and the voice was so powerful I nearly did. I woke up in a cold sweat feeling like I was falling. I stood up shakily and decided to go outside for a walk.

_Michael's POV_

The sun had set, so I was feeling pretty tired. The one thing about being an Apollo camper is that we get up and go to sleep with the sun. As you can guess, this can get really annoying. I fell asleep right away and almost immediately started dreaming. I was at the edge of a large, dark pit. I could practically sense the evil there, and the dark alone was making me shiver. I _hate _the dark. There was someone standing in front of me, but I couldn't see their face.

I heard a couple light, quick footsteps. A pair of hands reached out from behind me and pushed the person in front of me. They stumbled and fell over the side. Somehow, they must have twisted, because I could see their fingertips barely clinging to the edge. I heard a voice, deep and dangerous, that said to me, "Now it's your turn. Go on." What scared me was, I nearly did what it said and walked over the edge. I stopped at the edge and looked down. The darkness seemed to go on forever. Then I saw the fingertips clinging to the edge of the precipice at my feet. I also saw a face, but I couldn't make it out due to the twisted quality of the dream. That jerked me back to my senses. I turned to see who had pushed this person over the edge. I hit the floor with a thump and opened my eyes. I had fallen out of the bed when I turned to face my "attacker". I was thoroughly chilled by the dream and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to go out for a short walk to clear my senses.

_Connor's POV_

After the campfire I went back to the Hermes cabin and promptly fell asleep. I was standing at by an expansive pit. There was somebody in front of me and somebody beside me, but I couldn't see their faces. It was dark, but not ordinary dark. This had an oppressive feeling, and I felt like it was pushing down on me. I heard some light footsteps, and saw arms reach past me between me and the other person. They pushed whoever was in front of me over the edge. I started to go forward to help them, but I felt a sword at my back. A voice hissed, "Don't turn around if you value your life." I froze. My heart was racing. I saw fingertips at the edge of the pit, and let out a sigh of relief. Whoever had been pushed had survived, but just barely. "Not another sound," the hissing voice said. I quickly clamped my mouth shut and watched the person who had been beside me walk forward to the edge, but slowly, as if in a trance. They stopped at the edge and looked down, then shook their head quickly and turned with a weapon of some sort raised. I woke up almost expecting to feel a sword on my back. I shivered, got up, and decided to go outside for a walk.

_Khristi's POV (again)_

You can imagine how surprised I was when I bumped into Michael who appeared to be taking a walk as well. "Dream?" I asked.

"Yep," he said grimly. "The thing with demigod dreams is that they tend to come true, and I don't think that would be a very good thing with this dream."

"Tell me about it," a new voice said. I jumped and turned to see Connor, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Connor?" I asked.

"The one and only," he said, with a slight smirk.

"Dreams?" Michael asked. Connor nodded and shivered. "Us too," Michael said.

"What happened in your dream?" I asked. They looked uncomfortable.

"Well, um, the thing is, if we had the same dream or something, it might not be good if we told each other, because if something bad happened, we might try to prevent it, and that really would mess things up, because you don't know what choices would lead to what action," Connor said.

"Well, I guess we could maybe each say something where, if all of had the dream, we would recognize what it was," Michael said. Connor looked confused.

"So, Connor, for example, if we each had a dream that we were in a sunny meadow, but different things happened to each of us, we'd say something that we'd all have noticed, like the sunny meadow," I said, trying to explain. "Anyone want to go first? No? Then I guess I will. The pit." Both boys nodded.

"Me too," Connor said.

"And me," added Michael, "This is not good. If we all had dreams of the same place, we were probably all there. No matter what we do about this, we shouldn't talk about this at night." He looked around nervously, "You never know what's gonna happen at night."

"Agreed," I said. "Should we all go back to our cabins?" Connor and Michael nodded. "Well, g'night then"

"Good night," they chorused, then turned to head back to their respective cabins. I went back to the Athena cabin , but slept fitfully the rest of the night.

_Unknown POV (I promise this is the last one for this chapter)_

I watched the three demigods from the bushes as they headed back to their cabins. I had heard the whole conversation. _What fools,_ I thought, and curled my lip in disgust. _It will soon be time, and they will die or serve the Master._

**A/N- I had some fun writing this. Was anybody OOC? How was it? Can **_**you **_**guess the unknown POV? I must have reviews that are not from my sister before I will update! REVIEW!**

**-smartone101**


	13. 13: On Punishments and Prophecies

_**A/N- Much thanks to reviewers! Silents-in-the-Library, you're probably right about Aphrodite. Oh, well. However, you will see how that affects this. Here's chapter 13. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't' own PJO. Yet.**_

_Chapter 13: On Punishments and Prophecies_

_The morning after our weird dreams, Connor and Travis showed up at the Athena cabin with a video camera. They were grinning. This can't be good,_ I thought. "What's the camera for?"

"Well," Travis started, "This was the end result of our prank on Aphrodite. You remember that, right?"

"Yeah. But how come you didn't get results until now?" I asked.

"Hermes didn't have a chance to get the camera back until a week ago. After that, he was busy with deliveries, so he didn't have a chance to get it to us until today. We had to hide the camera so no one found it. If the wrong person saw this, we could get in _big _trouble."

"So how'd the prank work?" 

"It was awesome!" Connor said. 

"Actually, we were hoping you could, um, hide the evidence," Travis said nervously, holding up the camera. 

"Sure," I said, taking the camera. The Stolls left quickly and I sat down and took the memory card out of the camera. I plugged it into my laptop and started watching the video. It was definitely funny. Aphrodite had thrown a fit when she found the armor and then thrown a bigger fit when she'd found the "perfumes". 

"I know who did this. Hermes! And probably Apollo, too! I will get them for this!" she hissed. I gulped. Aphrodite was mad. Then she laughed quietly. "What those two don't know is that I'll have the last laugh. I have my wardrobe mainly for show,since I can just appear in whatever I want. The perfumes, however, are different," she pouted, "I'll have to rebuild my whole collection. They will pay. And so will their little demigod helpers, once I find out who they are." _No wonder the Stolls looked so nervous. I would be, too, if I were them. It's a good thing that I didn't come up with this prank. If I have to, I can say I was forced into it. _

I continued watching the video. For a while things were boring, so I fast forwarded. Them I saw a flash of color and slowed down. It was Hermes, but he did not look good. It looked like Aphrodite had temporarily cursed him. His hair was lime green with purple streaks, and he was wearing pink and grey. He looked horrible. He reached up towards the camera and the video ended. As I took the card out of my computer, I had to wonder what Apollo looked like. Using a damp cloth, I quickly wiped the camera and card to remove fingerprints, then stashed the camera in my bag. I didn't see the Stolls at the campfire that night. I think they were in their cabins. I was pretty sure Aphrodite had figured out that they had helped.

The next morning at breakfast, I saw the Stolls again. It looked like Aphrodite had cursed them, too, but not quite as badly as Hermes. Both of them had bright orange hair and makeup that looked like it was permanent. They looked pretty stupid. 

I looked over at the Apollo table to see Michael's reaction. He was white-faced and was holding a piece of paper. When Chiron finished making announcements, Michael stood up.

"Chiron?"

"Yes, Michael?"

"Sir, I would like to report my sister missing." I gasped. Ami, missing? It hardly seemed possible. 

"What happened?" Chiron asked.

"I found this on her bed this morning." he held up the piece of paper. "It looked like she had gotten up early to write in her diary. It was on her bed, along with her pen. She usually writes in code, so I don't know what she had been writing. Right below what she had been writing, though, she scrawled the word help. And two other letters: H and A. After that it looks like part of a D, then just a scribble like she was being taken somewhere while she was trying to finish the note." He sat down again, looking shaken. 

"Was anybody around while she was awake?" Chiron asked.

"Nobody. Nobody at all. Ami liked to get up before anybody else."

"Couldn't she have run away?" Tucker from the Ares cabin asked. 

"If she did, why would she leave a note asking for help?" 

"How do you know she wrote the note?" They started arguing until Chiron stamped his hoof to bring the campers to attention. 

"We will wait a day. If Ami is not back by tomorrow night, then we will assign a quest. Now, everybody to their activities!" the campers dispersed until only Michael and I were left in the pavilion. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Yeah, I know, that was a dumb question, but it was the first thing I could think of to say.

"I don't know. I might skip archery today. I just don't feel like doing anything normal when Ami's missing, knowing that every moment I wait is a moment that could be critical to Ami."

"I know how you feel."

"Do you really? Or are you just saying that?"

I thought about it for a minute, "You know, I am kind of just saying that, because this exact scenario hasn't happened to me. But I know how you feel when someone you love is in danger." Michael nodded. We sat there in silence for a minute before I said, "I have to go to archery. I guess I'll see you at the campfire?"

"Yep. I'll be there." I left, but I couldn't stop thinking about Ami. It seems to me that someone like Ami wouldn't go without a fight. The note…were there any monsters who's name started with H-A-D? Of course I didn't know all the monsters there were to know, but…Hey! That's it! Hades! That starts with H-A-D, the only name I know that starts like that. But why would Hades take Ami? What was going on here? I had to tell Michael my theory. After archery was Ancient Greek. I could probably skip out on that. I was doing pretty well in it. 

After archery came to an end, I ran off to find Michael. I went to his cabin, but he wasn't there. There was no reason for him to be in the Big House. I checked the infirmary, but they hadn't seen him all morning. I went down to the lake, just in case Michael was there. He wasn't. _Of course he's not. Michael hates swimming, and kind of the water in general._ I thought. On a hunch, I checked the archery range. The rest of the Apollo cabin was in line for the climbing wall, so it was deserted, except for a lone figure shooting in the far corner. It was Michael. I walked over towards him as he shot another arrow. It buried itself deep in the center of the target. "Hi Michael!" He jumped and turned to face me.

"Oh. Hi Khristi."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm shooting. It helps to take away some frustration. What are you doing here? Don't you have Ancient Greek?"

"Well, yes, I do, but I think I found who might have taken Ami."

"Who?"

"I think Hades might have."

"Oh. Why?"

"Well, that's the only name I could think of that would start with H-A-D."

"What would Hades want with Ami?" Michael asked.

"I don't know."

"Wait. The gods aren't allowed to meddle in the affairs of their children, right?"

"Right…"

"Then how could Hades be responsible for Ami's disappearance?"

"Can you think of another explanation?" I challenged.

"No. We should probably still keep open minds, though."

"Okay. I'd better go."

"See ya."

"See ya." I left and headed for Ancient Greek_. Annabeth is going to be mad that I'm late. Hope I don't' get in too much trouble…_

_The next night at the campfire…_

Chiron stamped his hoof to snap all the campers to attention. "Attention, everybody! Ami Yew has been missing for two days, and a decision has been made to have a quest to find her."

"Chiron. Why do we need a quest? So another of the brats is missing. So what?" Mr. D said. His objections were quickly overwhelmed by the campers, shouting,

"We want a quest! We want a quest!"

"If you brats really want a quest, then so be it. Maybe some more of you will die."

"Michael," Chiron started. Michael stood up from where he was sitting with the rest of the Apollo cabin. "Do you wish to lead this quest, as it is your sister who has been lost?"

"Yes," Michael said without hesitation. 

"Then it is time to consult the Oracle. Rachel?" a girl stood up. She had frizzy red hair and paint splattered jeans.

"Oracle, what must I do to find my sister?" Michael asked.

Rachel's eyes turned bright green and mist coiled out of her mouth and around Michael. When she spoke, it sounded ancient and snakelike.

"_Daughter of wisdom, son of light_

_Go forth to place of darkest night_

_A thief shall guide in the pits of the Earth_

_People shall be found, and secrets unearthed._

_By the pit the final stand shall be made_

_But victory cannot be won without aid."_

She stopped speaking and sat down. I shivered. A final stand did not sound good. 

"Michael, who do you wish to accompany you on this quest? You may choose two companions," Chiron said.

"Well, the first line of the prophecy says, 'daughter of wisdom' so that would mean a daughter of Athena. Khristi?" I jumped. "Are you willing to come?"

"Um…sure," I said hesitantly. I wasn't much good at fighting yet, and I was a little freaked out by the idea of a final stand. Still, I didn't want to look like a coward.

"The son of light is me, I think," Michael continued, "and the only other clue is 'a thief'. I'm guessing that would mean a son of Hermes. Is anybody willing to come?" There was some discontented murmuring. The flames sunk lower. Then Connor stood up.

"I'll come. I haven't been on a quest before, and I could use the experience," he said. _Great,_ I thought. _Now I'm the only girl on this quest._

**A/N- There's chapter 13. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was figuring out the prophecy and how it would affect the overall story line. Hope you liked it! Please review!**

**-smartone101**


	14. 14: the Quest Begins

**A/N-here we go. Chapter 14. The start of the quest. Much thanks to all reviewers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Yippee. **

Chapter 14: The Quest Begins

The next morning I woke up early to pack my small bag. I packed a spare set of clothes, a dagger, and a couple candy bars. I also packed a couple books, just in case there was time to read. "I think that's it," I murmured as I closed the bag. Then I headed out of the Athena cabin to the top of Half-Blood hill to watch the sunrise.

"Hi." a voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I turned around and saw Michael Yew, also with a small bag over his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?"

"Same as you. Watching the sunrise." We stood in silence for a few minutes until the sun had fully risen, then pivoted and headed for the pavilion to grab some breakfast. Except for a couple Apollo campers, the place was deserted. _Most of the campers must still be sleeping, _I thought. I quickly ate some food, then found Michael talking with Will Solace.

"Good luck, man. You'll need it!" Will said.

"Khristi, would you go get Connor? I think he's trying to sleep in," Michael said. I nodded and ran over to the Hermes cabin. I entered quietly, trying not to wake up the other campers, and approached Connor's bed.

"CONNOR! WAKE UP!" I yelled in his ear. Hey, there wasn't time for anything slower. Connor sat up fast with a pocketknife in his hand.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"You sleep with a pocketknife?"

"So?"

"Get out of bed, get dressed, pack, and meet Michael and I at the pavilion in under five minutes," I ordered.

"Okay," he yawned.

Four minutes later, Connor was at the pavilion stuffing himself. After he finished, he joined Michael and I, who were talking to Chiron. "What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Well, Connor, we were discussing the best way to get to the Underworld," Chiron started.

"Why would we want to go there?"

"Because that's where we think Ami might be," Michael said.

"Why would she be there?"

"1. Because we think Hades might have been the one who took her. the prophecy said _go forth to place of darkest night_ and _the pits of the earth._ Both of those point to the Underworld," I said, slightly exasperated.

"Oh. I see."

"So," Chiron went on, "the entrance to the Underworld is in LA, but you probably don't have time to travel there. However, there is another way-"

"Huh? How come we've never heard of this before?" Michael asked.

"You have, Michael," Chiron continued, "It's called the door of Orpheus."

"Oh. Right." Michael said.

"So, anyways, the door of Orpheus is located in Central Park. Nico will show you the way. That is, once he wakes up." I groaned mentally. I'd seen Nico around camp a couple times, enough to know that he was a child of Hades and also didn't get along very well with most people. I glanced around the pavilion to see if he was awake yet. He wasn't. Of course. So much for getting an early start. Unless…

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"Feel like testing your stealing skills?"

"Sure!" _Good. _

"Then go into the Hades cabin and take Nico's sword."

"The black one?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay then," Connor said before heading for the Hades cabin. _That worked perfectly, _I thought.

A minute or so later, Connor came running out of the Hades cabin with two skeleton warriors and a very grumpy-looking Nico following him. Nico dismissed the skeletons and they sank into the ground. Connor stopped and turned around. Nico walked up to him and placed the tip of his sword on Connor's throat. Connor paled. "What _exactly_ were you doing in my cabin?" asked Nico.

"Um, trying to steal your sword?"

"I thought so. Don't try it again or it will be the last time you ever steal something." he turned around and started back towards the Hades cabin.

"Nico," Chiron said. Nico turned back towards us.

"Yes, Chiron?"

"If you don't mind, I was going to have you show the quest members," he motioned to us, "to the door of Orpheus."

"Couldn't Percy?"

"Percy has a sword fighting class to teach."

"Couldn't I just give them directions?"

"If you refuse to go-"

"Okay, listen up, because I'm only saying this once," started Nico. Then he began giving us rapid directions to the door of Orpheus. I was pretty sure I'd caught most of them, but I'd have to check with Michael and Connor to see if they'd heard something I hadn't. After he finished, Connor went back to the Hermes cabin to grab his bag.

A couple minutes later, we loaded into one of the camp vans. Connor ended up driving because I didn't have a license yet and Michael was a little too short to see where he was going.

_35 minutes later…_

"Connor, you are never driving again!" I said as we piled out of the van at Central Park. Michael slowly emerged from the backseat, his face green.

"I don't feel so good," he muttered. After we had all recovered from our ordeal at the hands of Connor, we started off to find the door of Orpheus. Fortunately, we had remembered all of Nico's directions and ended up in front of a large pile of boulders.

"How do we get to the Underworld from here?" Connor said, a little too loudly.

"Think, Connor," I hissed, "Weren't you paying attention in History?"

"Um…no?"

"So, to get through, we have to have music. Orpheus sang and played the lyre, and Grover played his reed pipes when Percy and Nico went through here a year ago," Michael said. "So, is anybody good at singing?"

"You," Connor and I said simultaneously.

"You can't expect me to sing alone! Right?"

"Actually, I was expecting that," Connor said, "but if you refuse to do that, I have," he rummaged in his pack, "a harmonica." He pulled out the said harmonica with a dramatic flourish.

"Connor, where did you get that harmonica?" I asked.

"It's mine."

"No it isn't. Look on the top. There's a name."

"There is? Oh, that name. That was on there when I found it."

"You did not _find _it, Stoll, you _stole _it from my sister Angel." _So that's where her harmonica went… _"What were you going to use it for?"

"Um…a prank?" "Guys, does this really matter?" Michael asked, "The point is that we have a harmonica. Can anybody play the harmonica?"

"Nope," I said.

"No," Connor said.

"And I don't play it either. Hmm…" We sat there for a minute. "You know, I might be able to play it if I have to…" Michael said. Connor handed over the harmonica. Michael started playing it. He wasn't the best, but it seemed to come naturally. I suppose that's because he's the son of Apollo. After a couple minutes of him playing, the rocks shuddered and moved aside, revealing a dark passage into the earth.

"Did anybody bring a light?" Connor asked.

"No,"

"No."

"I guess we're going to just have to be careful then," Connor said as we descended into the dark passageway. Immediately the rocks rolled back to cover the hole.

"Okay, everybody remember not to eat anything while we're down here or you'll be stuck in the Underworld forever," I said. Michael shuddered. From what I could tell, he hated the dark, and this dark was deep and seemingly endless. There was an unnatural green glow up ahead, which we followed until we finally emerged from the passage on the bank of the river Styx. It was a strange greenish color, and seemed to be full of random _things_, like college diplomas, old toys, and the like.

"What's all that stuff?" I asked.

"When people die and pass to the Underworld, they leave behind everything," Connor said. I looked at him, startled.

"Connor! You actually said something that makes sense!" I said somewhat sarcastically.

"Don't I always make sense, though?"

"No. You don't," Michael interjected. "Has anyone ever been down here before?"

"I haven't. I didn't even know I was a demigod until about a month ago," I said.

"I have!" Connor exclaimed.

"When?" Michael asked.

"Well, actually I haven't."

"Then why did you say you had?" I asked.

"You didn't let me finish. Last January, Nico showed us a map of the Underworld, in case we ever had to go down there. It wasn't a very good map, but-"

"Connor, just get to the point!" Michael said impatiently.

"What I was trying to say was that I kind of know where everything is. Where are we going?"

"To Hades' palace. We need to see if he was actually responsible for Ami's disappearance," I said. "Lead on, Connor,"

"Hey, it's another part of the prophecy! It said _A thief will guide._ Connor's a thief, and he's guiding us!" Michael said.

"Yup! I'm your guide- Hey, did you just call me a thief?" Michael nodded. "Good! Because that's what I am!"

"It was actually meant as an insult…"

"Just get going," I said. "We don't have all week,"

"Well, actually-" Connor started.

"Connor. Shut up and guide." Michael ordered.

"Okay, okay. I'm guiding." and so we started off towards Hades' palace.

**A/N- Yay! Chapter 14 is done! How'd you guys like it? Review!**


	15. 15: Journey to the Pit

**A/N-Chapter 15! Wow! Read! Enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. PJO. Is that clear?**

Chapter 15: Journey to the Pit

We walked along the bank of the Styx, being careful not to get too close to the water. After walking for a couple minutes, we saw three gates, all crowded with spirits. One, the Ez-death line, was moving quickly. The other two, the lines for judgment, were moving much more slowly.

I didn't see the dog until I hit its paw. I looked up and immediately wished I hadn't. The dog, Cerberus, was _huge_. He made the hellhound that had attacked me when I arrived at camp look puny. He looked down at us and growled. Michael gulped. "Hey, Connor," I said.

"What?"

"Did Nico say anything about getting past Cerberus?"

"No…but he does like red rubber balls."

"Does anybody have a red rubber ball?" I asked. Michael and Connor shook their heads. "Okay then. I guess we'll have to improvise." I opened my pack and took out a chocolate bar. I know most dogs can't have chocolate, but I doubted Cerberus could die from one puny chocolate bar. "Hey, Cerberus!" I yelled, sounding a lot more confident then I felt. "Do you like chocolate?" I backed up a few paces so he could see the chocolate. One of his heads stared at the chocolate. The other two focused on the boys. "Do you want the chocolate, boy?" I said. He stretched down his middle head and gulped down the chocolate, nearly taking off my hand in the process. So much for that plan. On to Plan B.

I grabbed a book out of my pack. _I hate to have to do this, but it's the only way, _I thought. "Cerberus, see the book?" All three heads snapped to attention. "Fetch!" I threw the book hard, trying to angle it away from the river. Cerberus growled and started off towards the book, crushing spirits in the process. "That was _The House on Mango Street,_" I said. "I'm gonna miss that book."

"Run!" Michael exclaimed. We dashed through the Ez-death line. Alarms went off, since we obviously weren't dead. We ran through the Fields of Asphodel, trying not to run into spirits. We had almost reached the other side when I was lifted off the ground into the air. I looked around and saw Michael and Connor being lifted by what looked like old ladies with bat wings and fiery whips.

"It's the Furies!" yelled Connor. "Don't fight them or they'll drop you!"

"Where are they taking us?" I yelled back.

"I don't know!" The Furies finally dropped us in a garden full of fruit trees. I looked a little closer and noticed they were all pomegranate trees.

"It's Persephone's garden," Michael said. "Don't touch the fruit."

I addressed the Furies, "Why did you bring us here?"

The middle Fury spoke, " Our master, Hades, wished to see the trespassers in his domain."

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Walk forward, all of you," another one said. They prodded us forward and through a gate at the other side of the garden. I took a quick glance around. We were in and expansive dark hall. Skeleton guards were everywhere. At the front of the hall a man sat on a dark throne that seemed to be made of human bones. He had a pale face and the burning eyes of a madman. _Hades._ I shuddered. The three Furies flew up and perched above his throne. The three of us bowed.

"What brings you here?" Hades asked.

"We, um, well," Connor started.

"My sister went missing a couple days ago, and we have reason to believe you were responsible for her disappearance," Michael said.

"What!" Hades roared. "What would I want with one of Apollo's puny children!"

"We found a page of her diary on her bed the morning she went missing," Michael explained. "She had written the word help and the letters h-a-d. You were the only person we knew of whose name started with those letters, so we assumed that you were the one who had taken her."

"That is preposterous!" Hades said, "I have absolutely no reason to take your sister. I have been _framed,_" he growled.

"Is it possible that she might be down here?" I ventured, "Has anything unusual happened?"

"Yes, unusual things have happened," Hades mused. "A couple days ago, Cerberus was poisoned and nearly died. The security system at the gates was dismantled. Tartarus, the spirit of the pit, has been stirring. Something is afoot in my kingdom, and I have yet to find out what it is."

"Will you allow us to pass through and search for Ami?" Michael asked.

"Hmm, I suppose I could. As long as you also investigate the pit and see if anything _unusual _is going on there," he said.

"Alright, I guess we could," Michael replied.

"Then go," Hades said before he put on his helm and melted into shadows. His disembodied voice floated out from nearby, "and do not fail me." We stood there for a moment in silence.

"Well, that was creepy," Connor said, and suddenly we were all laughing for no obvious reason.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked once we had finished laughing.

"Well, we have two choices," Michael said. "We could search for Ami first, or we could investigate the pit for Hades first. Who wants to investigate the pit first?"

"Me."

"Me."

"Make that three of us," Michael went on, "Connor, how do we get to Tartarus?"

"Let's just start by getting out of the palace," I said. "This place gives me the willies."

"The willies?" Connor asked with a bemused expression on his face. "Is that even a word?"

"No. It's two words. The and willies." I said.

"No. What I meant was: is willies an actual word?"

"Yes, actually it is."

"How do you know?"

"Does it really matter?" Michael interjected.

"No," said Connor, looking sheepish.

"Let's just get going," I said. We walked past the skeleton guards and out of the palace. "Which way?" I asked Connor.

"Um, well, first we have to go between the Fields of Punishment and Elysium. If we keep going, we'll arrive at the pit."

"Okay…" Michael said, "but I'm still not entirely sure I trust you." We started walking. On one side of us was the Fields of Punishment. We tried not to look over that way. On the other side of us was Elysium. It looked beautiful, down by the sea. If I looked hard enough, I could make out the Isles of the Blest, for those who had been reborn three times and had achieved Elysium in all three lives. I could have stayed there and just stared, but Michael said we had to keep going. After that I kept my eyes on the path in front of me.

The path started to slope downwards and get darker. Finally, it ended. We were standing in front of a huge pit. I couldn't see the other side, but that might have been because it was so dark. The dark seemed to be alive and be pressing down on us. I walked forward to the edge of the pit and looked down. The darkness seemed to go on forever. Then I heard a couple footsteps and felt somebody push me hard. I stumbled forward and fell over the edge. I managed to grab the edge and hung on for my life.

**A/N- Sorry it's so short. It's a little cliffhanger! No pun intended. Review please!**


	16. 16: Battle at the Pit

**A/N-Chapter 16! POV changes! Hotpepper's "epic battle"! Death! Destruction! Poison! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. I do, however, own Khristi, Ami Yew, the "epic battle", the poison- oh, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here…On with the story!**

Chapter 16: Battle at the Pit

_Khristi's POV_

So I was hanging on to the edge of the pit, right? The first thought in my head was: _Dude! Who pushed me?_ The second thought was my common sense telling me not to let go. Then I heard the voice. It was deep and dangerous. "Come to me. Just let go," it said. The thing is, I nearly listened and let go. _Wait. What am I doing? _I asked myself. _There's no way that I'm going to let go. Sorry voice thingy. _Now let's see about getting out of here_. _I'd practiced on the climbing wall enough to know the basics of rock climbing. Sadly enough, right below the place I had grabbed the cliff was an undercut. A big one. _I guess I'm going to just have to hang here until somebody notices, _I thought. _Ow. That's going to hurt._

_Connor's POV_

Somebody behind Michael and I pushed Khristi off the edge. I started to turn, but felt a blade on my back, and a voice hissed, "Don't turn around if you value your life." I froze. I saw fingertips at the edge of the cliff and let out a sigh of relief. Khristi had survived. "Not another sound," the hissing voice said. "This sword is loaded with poison that can't wait to kill somebody." I clamped my mouth shut. _Michael, it's up to you,_ I thought.

_Michael's POV_

I saw Khristi get pushed off the edge of the pit. I could see her fingertips clinging to the edge. I was about to turn and face the attacker when I heard the voice. It was dark and deep. "Now it's your turn," it said. "Go on." Almost against my will, I started walking forward to the edge. When I was at the very edge, I stopped and looked down. I could see Khristi's fingertips clinging to the edge by my feet. Her face was a mask of sheer terror. That jerked me back to my senses. I turned to face her attacker and my breath caught in my throat.

"Ami?"

"Who else?" she sneered from behind Connor, who she seemed to be using as a human shield. His face was white.

"How could you? I mean- you're my baby sister. You've always been so sweet. Now-"

"Um guys, is this really the time to be engaging in a little family reunion thingy?" Connor asked weakly.

"Shut up unless you feel like a sword in your gut," Ami said. Her usually pretty face was contorted in a sneer.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Why do you think? Who do _you _think the voice you just heard was?"

"Kronos?" I asked.

"No, idiot. Kronos is dead. Gone."

"Who, then? Gaea?"

"She still sleeps. The voice you hear is that of Tartarus."

"The spirit of the pit?"

"Yes. The very same. He is more powerful then the gods or even the titans. He was rejected from the beginning, but he will rise." Okay. My sister was sounding creepy.

"So are you like part of a cult, then?"

"No. I am the beginning of the rise of Tartarus. With my help, others will join his cause. He will rise and destroy the gods! He will become the ruler of the earth!"

"Ami! Why? Why are you doing this to me? What happened to the little sister who ran away from home with me? Who had my back when I was the new kid in the Apollo cabin? Who are you and what have you done with my sister!" I was desperate now. How could this be Ami? What had gone wrong?

"I am not doing anything. You are inflicting this conflict of mind upon yourself. I have found a worthy cause. Why could you not join me? What have I done wrong? Nothing. But did the gods ever acknowledge me? No. You, Lee, Will, even this scum-" she broke off to kick Connor viciously in the back of his knee, dropping him to his knees. She moved her sword to his throat. Green poison dripped down the blade. "-even he was shown more appreciation than I was."

"But why? Why did you push Khristi?"

"She would not have joined. Her will was too strong. Those who will not join must be sacrificed to the pit. It is a pity she managed to grab the edge, but no matter. She will lose her strength and fall, and that will be the end of her." Ami's face was expressionless as she said this, like she didn't care one way or the other. _What can I do? _I thought. _I can't hurt my little sister._

A voice spoke in my head, one that sounded suspiciously like Khristi's. _Keep her talking. Find out as much as you can._ I was confused.

_Who are you? _I thought.

The answer came quickly,_ Never mind who I am. Just do what I say._ It sounded slightly exasperated, like Khristi does when she's trying to explain something to Connor and he's not getting it. I almost smiled in spite of myself. "But what about the note?" I asked.

"A simple trick to get you to come to the Underworld. After that, all I had to do was poison Cerberus, dismantle the security system, hide here, and wait for you to come."

"Let's say I do join you. What happens then?"

"First there is the test. To prove your loyalty."

"What would that be?" I knew I was sounding like I was going to join, but it was all to get information.

"Kill him," Ami said.

"Why?"

"He wouldn't join. I know his kind."

"After that?"

"You would swear loyalty to Tartarus. After that we would go back to camp, make up some tragic story, and slowly recruit from inside camp."

_What now,_ I thought.

_Now, prove your loyalty to us, _the voice in my head said. I jumped slightly as I realized who it was.

_Lady Athena._

_No time for formalities, Michael. There is a battle at hand. Trust me._

_Yes, my lady. _"I will never join," I said out loud. My voice sounded a lot clearer and stronger then I felt._ Thank you Athena._

_Thank me when this is over._

" You refuse? Then let us fight, Michael Yew. Let us fight." She dropped Connor, and he fell to the floor, gasping. I finally got a clear view of her sword. It was long and seemed to be made entirely out of darkness and shadows. The length of the blade dripped green poison. I dropped my bow. It would be no use against a sword. That's about when I saw Khristi's knives at the edge of the pit. She must have carefully pulled of her earrings and transformed then into knives.

"Hurry up with this, Mike," she gasped, "I can't hang on much longer."

"Okay. Just hang on a little longer." I picked up the knives. They felt right in my hand.

_Let's kick some serious a**, _another voice said in my head. I mentally called it voice 2.

_Athena?_

_No, you idiot. It's Ares, obviously, _voice 2- er, Ares, said.

_So I have both war gods in my head?_ I asked.

_Yup,_ they said.

_Great. Just great. Don't bicker, please. _I said.

_Dude. I don't bicker during battle, _Ares said.

_Okay then._ I stepped forward from the edge of the pit. Connor had crawled to the wall and was leaning against it, trying to catch his breath.

"Ready to fight, _brother_?" Ami asked. She called me her brother as if it was the worst insult she could think of.

"You bet your life I am." I said.

"That's what we are betting, Michael. Our lives. This will be a fight to the death."

_Awesome, _Ares said, _I love fights to the death. _

_Shut up Ares, _I replied, _This is my sister we're fighting here._

"Are you sure you won't join?" Ami asked.

"I'd rather die."

"Then you will." Wasting no time, she stepped forward and thrust her blade at my chest. I sidestepped just in time, no thanks to Athena and Ares, who both yelled_ Sidestep!_ at the same time.

Still dodging Ami's blows, I thought, _Please not at the same time, guys._

_Okay. I'll take defense,_ Athena said.

_Dude! That means I have offense! Yay!_ Ares added. Immediately afterwards, Athena started directing me in avoiding Ami's blows. When she stopped, Ares would start up on how to attack. There were a few close calls, but pretty soon I just kind of lost control of my body and it just did what they said.

The fight wore on. Ami lunged, I dodged. I lunged, struck, and threw. She dodged most of the time, but got a cut on her arm. Immediately I felt guilty, but Ares started yelling at me about how I'm not supposed to feel guilty in a fight, so I tried to stop. Connor had gotten his breath back and was digging around in his pack for a dagger. Ami fought with the speed and grace of a leopard. It appeared that even Ares and Athena had some small respect for her fighting skills. Finally, she got me backed up against the edge of the pit, close to where Khristi was.

"Ready to die, brother?" Ami asked as she lunged on last time. Without thinking, I dodged, but her momentum carried her past me…and over the edge of the cliff. As she started to fall, she made a wild swing with her sword. It hit Khristi and carved a long furrow down her side. Khristi let out a cry as Ami disappeared into the blackness. I was tempted to sit down and cry, but Athena jerked me back to reality.

_My daughter, you idiot. My daughter is going to die in about five seconds if you don't DO SOMETHING!_ I looked up and realized that Khristi's fingers had just about slipped completely over the edge. I quickly reached out and grabbed her hand as her fingertips lost there hold. Immediately, I was pulled down and almost over the edge as Khristi's full weight hung from my hand.

"Connor! Help me!" I called. He ran over and grabbed her other hand. Together we pulled her up out of the abyss. "Are you okay?" I asked her once she was up on solid ground.

"I don't know," she gasped, just as Athena yelled in my mind, _You complete and total imbecile! She just hung from a cliff by her fingertips for several minutes, then was hit by a poisoned blade, and you ask if she's OKAY! SHE'S OBVIOUSLY NOT OKAY YOU IDIOT! _I winced. That hurt.

"Connor, see if we have any nectar. Khristi, I need you to lay on your stomach so I can see how badly you were hurt." As Connor rummaged in the pack, I inspected the damage Ami's sword had done. And for you dirty minded people out there, I didn't do anything that was inappropriate. Athena would have killed me from the inside out if I had. "This is bad," I murmured. The sword hadn't cut too deeply, but the poison on it was a different matter. I'd never seen anything like it before.

"We're out of nectar!" Connor said. I groaned. With nectar and a hymn to Apollo, I can heal a lot of wounds, but if there's no nectar, I can't do anything.

_Athena? Can you do anything? _

_No Michael. None of us can enter Hades' domain. You will have to seek help from him. This poison…it needs the power of an Olympian for it to be drawn out. If Hades will not help…there is no hope. _

"No!" I said. Connor looked at me and I realized I had said it out loud. "Connor, run and get Hades. Now. Tell him we need his help."

"Why?"

"Do you want Khristi to die?"

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes," I gasped, choking back the tears.

"_Maia!_ Connor said. His shoes sprouted wings and he took off at breakneck speed.

"Hang on a minute, Khristi," I begged, "Don't die on me. Please."

"Don't you dare let me die, Michael Yew, or I will haunt you for the rest of your life," Khristi said with a ghost of a smile. Her eyes met mine a moment before she passed out. _Please hurry, Connor. Please, please, hurry._

**A/N- another cliffy-ish ending! How'd you like it? Sorry if you don't like the different POV's but Khristi wasn't involved much here so…yeah. Review?**

**-smartone101**


	17. 17: On stealing from Hades

**A/N- Here we go…chapter 17. This is not in Khristi's POV, so…yeah. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm a teenage girl, not a middle-aged guy.**

Chapter 17: On Stealing from the King of the Dead

_Connor's POV_

I was flying through the Underworld toward Hades' palace. I kept shouting "Maia!" to make my shoes go faster. Pretty soon I was going faster then I would have thought possible in these shoes. I started thinking about how to persuade Hades to help us, and pretty soon I was lost in my thoughts. So of course I didn't see the gate coming up and _Wham!_ I slammed into it. My shoes stopped and I fell to the ground. _Ow…_I thought. My face was probably pretty banged up.

After resting for a minute, I flew over the gate, through Persephone's garden, and into the throne room. Hades was not on his throne. I looked around. There weren't any skeleton guards in sight, either. I immediately made an executive decision and sped through one of the doorways. _Let's see where this goes,_ I thought.

I wound up in a small bathroom. I was guessing that it was for Nico when he would come to visit his dad in the Underworld. I was about to leave when I noticed a medicine cabinet on the wall. I decided to take a look inside. There were bottles upon bottles of just about every medicine known to man, and some that man didn't even know of yet. I started scanning the rows.

_A couple minutes later…_

A bottle filled with a greenish gold liquid caught my eye. I grabbed it and read the label. "This potion will counteract any poison ever made" the label said. I looked at the bottom of the label and discovered that it had been purchased from Medea. _Hmm. I don't exactly trust Medea. Or Hades for that matter. But if this has a chance of working…_ I grabbed the bottle and tucked it into my pocket. I turned around to leave when a voice stopped me.

"And just _where_ do you think you are going with that?" I turned completely around but didn't see anybody. "I'm over here," the voice said dryly. I turned just in time to see Hades melt out of the shadows.

"Wha- Why are you here?" I asked, slightly stunned.

"This is my palace, Stoll. Why shouldn't I be here?"

"How did you find out I was here?"

"When you have the Helm of Darkness, it is remarkably easy to follow a group of three demigods."

"You were following us?" Hades nodded, looking pleased with himself. "then why didn't you help?"

"I wanted to see how you would do on your own."

"But you- you could have helped us. You could have-"

"What I did or did not do is my own business," Hades said, cutting me off. He waved his hand and we were back in the throne room. He was seated on his throne.

"Um, sir?"

"What is it?" Hades said, looking bored.

"Can I go now?"

"No. You have attempted to steal something from me, and I would know the reason why before I send you to the dungeons." he snapped his fingers and two skeleton guards stepped forward and grabbed my arms.

"You- you should know why if you were following us!" I said, getting a little angry, "Khristi was poisoned by Ami Yew. Only the power of an Olympian or a titan could save her. We needed your help, and I was the fastest one there, so I came here to try to get you to help!"

Hades nodded slowly, "Go on."

"I came into the throne room, but you weren't there, so I was going to try to find you, but I saw the medicine cabinet, and I thought there might be something in there that could help," I said in a rush. Hades stepped down from his throne and plucked the vial out of my pocket.

"I see. You have found Medea's vial. One of her best potions. This would have worked."

"How do you know?"

"Because I created the poison that was on Ami's sword. I obviously would know the cure."

"So you were helping Ami!" I yelled, "You traitor!"

"Watch what you call me, Stoll. Remember that you are in my domain." The guards twisted my arms behind my back, making me wince. "And I was not helping Ami. The poison was stolen from my palace a couple days ago. Nobody was there to stop the thief, because we were all down by the gate trying to keep Cerberus alive."

"Please, just let me go and let me take the potion back to Michael and Khristi. She could be dying!"

"No, she hasn't died yet. She has about…15 minutes left. At the moment she is probably having visions from her past. In about three minutes the poison will affect her nerves, causing spasms and probably great pain. In ten minutes, the poison will affect her brain, she will go into a coma, and death will be inevitable," Hades finished, looking somewhat pleased with himself. I felt sick.

"How could you do this? How- how can you live with yourself, letting an innocent girl die?"

"Very easily," Hades remarked dryly. "And may I remind you, I did not _do_ anything. Nothing at all."

"And that's what you're doing wrong!" I said. " You could help us! But instead you're sitting here, enjoying this! You _want _her to die!"

Hades looked smug, "Guards, take him away. To the dungeons. But first," he stopped and came closer to me, "I will give him three things. A spray bottle, a flashlight, and one drachma. All he needs to make an IM, just in case he wants to see what happens to his _friends_." He gave the three things to one of the guards. The two holding my arms pulled me away, but I couldn't resist a little parting shot, "You know something, Hades? You're not the king of the dead. You're the king of the heartless. I don't think you've ever loved someone in your life!" Hades looked stricken for an instant, but quickly covered it by slipping on his helm and disappearing.

_Three minutes later…_

We arrived at the dungeons. The guards pushed my through a wall, which turned solid behind me. One of them threw the three items after me. I quickly set up the rainbow. I was about to IM Michael, then had a brilliant idea. "Show me Iapetus," I said. The mist shimmered and showed me a titan with silver eyes, "Hi Bob!" I said.

He turned, "Hi!" For those of you who don't know, Percy made Iapetus fall in the Lethe. He has no memory of being a titan, but he can still heal people. Oh, yeah, and he thinks his name is Bob. "Who are you?"

"I am Connor. I am Percy's friend." Not exactly true. Percy's still a little mad at me over the time I put fish in his cabin. And the time I dumped Cherry Coke on him. And the time I stole Riptide. And the time- Ah, never mind. "I need your help." I said.

"What does Percy's friend need?"

"I need you to go to Tartarus. You know where that is, right?"

Iapetus nodded, "Not a good place."

"My friends are there. One of them is hurt. She needs your help."

"Did Hades say I could go? He is my boss."

"Yes. Hades told me to tell you to go. And hurry." One of the perks of being a son of Hermes is that lying comes naturally to us.

"I am going. Goodbye." He swiped his arm through the message and it dissipated. I sighed and sat down. _I have a long wait. Might as well get some sleep._

_Michael's POV_

Khristi was tossing and turning as the poison progressed. I think she was hallucinating, because at one point she shouted out, "No! I didn't take the candy cane!" I nearly laughed in spite of myself. After a couple minutes, she started crying out in pain. I tried to keep her still so she wouldn't injure herself further, but I was a good 6 inches shorter then she was, so it was kind of tricky. About then, a titan with silver eyes walked in.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Bob. A friend of Percy told me to come here and help you."

"Was his name Connor?"

"I think so," Then he noticed Khristi. "Ow," Iapetus said, seeing her wound. He placed his finger on it and Khristi became still. "The poison is gone now. She is sleeping," Iapetus said.

"Thank you!" I said. "But where is Connor?"

"He sent me an Iris Message," Iapetus said. "He was in a dark place, made of stone. I didn't see anything else. I have to go now. Goodbye." He turned around and left. I looked at Khristi's wound again. It was no longer glowing green, and she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. I carefully bandaged the wound, trying not to disturb her.

"Where could Connor be?" I mused. "Hades must not have been home, so I bet he tried to steal something and got caught. That means he's probably in the dungeons." _Great. _I thought, _Now we have to rescue him, too._

_About ten minutes later…_

Khristi opened her eyes. "Michael?" she asked.

"Khristi! You're awake!"

"What happened?"

I explained everything to her. "And now, Connor is in the dungeons. What do you think we should do?"

"The only obvious answer is to talk to Hades," she said.

"But he's the one who put Conner in the dungeons in the first place!"

"But that was because Connor was trying to steal something," she reminded me, "We could call in his debt to us."

"What debt?"

"You rid the Underworld of Ami's threat."

"But not of the threat of Tartarus rising."

"True. But it's worth a shot."

"Okay, I guess. Can you stand?"

"I think so." Khristi had managed to sit up while we were talking, and now she struggled to her feet. She swayed a little, but remained upright. I grabbed my pack and handed hers back to her.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Whenever you are!" She said with a smile. I picked up Connor's pack, which he'd forgotten.

"Then let's go!" We slowly started making our way towards Hades' palace.

**A/N-Yay! Chapter 17! I had fun writing this chapter. Review?**


	18. 18: Bargains

**A/N- Chapter 18! We're back in Khristi's POV! I still might put something from Connor, though. He's so much fun to write. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I'm working on it, but not yet.**

Chapter 18: Bargains

_Khristi's POV_

Michael and I slowly made our way towards Hades' palace. My back throbbed. The poison was gone, but the wound was still there. We finally made it to the gates. They were locked. Connor must have flown over them. Michael shook the gates, seeing if they would open. Nothing happened. He pulled his hands back quickly. "The gates are cold!" he said. I slowly reached out towards the gates. My hand went through. I pulled it back.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"Don't ask me. You're the smart one here," Michael said.

"Let me try something," I said. I whacked my hand against the gate. It hit solid cold metal. I slowly brought my hand towards the gate. It went through.

"Whoa. Let me try that!" Michael said. He tried it with the same results.

"It's like a hologram gate!" I exclaimed. We stepped through slowly and came out on the other side shivering. "I take that back. It's like the gate is made completely of coldness." We walked through Persephone's garden and into the throne room. Hades was seated on his throne, looking bored.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"We want you to release Connor," Michael said, stepping forward. _I'd never be able to do that. Hades scares me._ I thought,

"Why should I?"

"He helped defeat Ami."

"No, he didn't. You did." Hades replied.

This was not going the right way. I stepped forward. "You're right. Michael was the one who defeated Ami. However, because of that, you owe him something, no?"

"If it were something else, I'd say yes. But I will not release a thief who had the audacity to insult me in my own hall." I looked at Michael. _What did Connor do this time?_

"What happened?" Michael asked.

"Guards! The security video!" Hades barked, then turned back to us. "Watch. You'll see." We turned around. There was a video feed, presumably from security cameras, playing on the wall.

_Five minutes later…_

"Okay, so maybe Connor did insult you. But it was because he perceived you as being unfair to him," Michael reasoned.

Hades was looking thoughtful, "How are you even here? You-" he pointed at me, "should be dead."

"Didn't anybody ever tell you that it's rude to point?" someone quipped from behind us. I whirled around and saw Connor. His face was white and he had a nasty scrape on his cheek. His arms were being held by two skeleton guards.

"_You._ What are you doing here?" Hades asked.

"I told the guards you had IM-d me and said for them to bring me up here immediately," Connor said with a trace of a smile, "They really are quite gullible, you know."

"Hi Connor," I said.

"Hi. I see Iapetus did his job."

"_Iapetus?_ What does Iapetus have to do with all this?" Hades roared.

"Well…you gave me a spray bottle, a flashlight, and a drachma. I IM-d Iapetus and told him you said to go help Michael and Khristi." Connor said.

"Why did he trust you?"

"I said I was Percy's friend."

"Isn't he still mad at you about when you-" Michael started.

Connor cut him off, "You know, Hermes kids really do have a talent for lying, Michael."

"Oh. Right."

"Can you let me go now?" I'll give you one guess as to who said that.

"Not until you apologize for insulting me." Hades said.

Connor rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry for insulting you, since your precious little feelings seem to have gotten hurt."

"POLITELY!"

"Fine. I'm really really sorry. Can I go now?"

"WITHOUT SARCASM!"

"Okay. Here we go. Hades, I'm very very sorry that I ever insulted you. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry," Connor deadpanned. He was right. He really was a very good liar.

"Fine. Let him go." The guards released Connor's arms. We turned to go. "Wait."

We turned back around. "What?" I asked.

"You have Connor, but you do not have safe passage out of my kingdom," Hades said. "You had one favor. One. Now, since you have Connor, you can all go to the dungeons together."

"WHAT!" Michael said as the guards seized us.

"Wait," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I have something I can give you."

"What is it?" Hades asked, looking interested. The guard holding me released my arms. I took off my pack and put it on the ground.

"There isn't much you do around here, is there?"

"No…" he said.

"Do you read much?"

"Yes…When Persephone isn't here."

"Have you read the Lord of the Rings?"

"No. I was going to, but Demeter took it away from me during the war." Hades pouted slightly. I bit back the urge to laugh. I grabbed the books out of my bag.

"I'll make you a deal. I have here the three Lord of the Rings books. I am willing to exchange them for safe passage for the three of us through your kingdom." Hades eyes grew big when he saw the books.

"And you're not trying to trick me? You'll go straight out and not come back?"

"Sure thing. I'll even include The Hobbit."

"Give me the books." I handed him the books. "Let them go." The guards let Connor and Michael go. "Now get out of here."

"Yes, sir." Michael said. We went out, but I couldn't resist a last look back. Hades was sitting in his throne and reading the Hobbit like there was no tomorrow. We slipped through Persephone's garden and out the gate. As soon as we were well away from the palace, Michael stated laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You traded us for _books_?"

"Yep. Books are always more useful then you think they're going to be. I'd brought those along to read if there was the chance."

"Couldn't he just have bought them?" Connor asked.

"I'm guessing he doesn't really have a way of getting mortal money, and not many people are carrying books when they die."

"Ah. I see."

We past the gates without any trouble. Cerberus was still too busy wrecking "The House on Mango Street" to pay us any mind. We found the stack of boulders marking the Door of Orpheus. The only problem came when we discovered the harmonica was gone. "It must have fallen out of my pack back at the pit," Connor said. I shuddered at the mention of the pit.

"What do we do now?" Michael asked.

"Feel like singing a cappella?" I asked.

"I could try. If I have to. But you two have to sing, too."

"What?" Connor said.

"What songs do we all know?" I asked.

"Well, we all know the basics, like Christmas carols and stuff." Michael said.

"Dude! We're gonna sing Christmas carols in the Underworld?" Connor asked.

"Forget I said that. What else do we know?"

"Uprising, by Muse," Connor said.

"And I don't know that one. Yet." Michael said.

"Neither do I."

"Wait a minute," Connor said. "I have an idea. I went to a summer camp a while back, and there was a song they made us sing there. If you know it, great. If you don't, just sing what I sing. Sound good?"

"Okay." I said.

"Okay…"

Connor smirked. "Here we go then, _There was a great big moose_"

"_There was a great big moose._"

"_He liked to drink a lot of juice._"

"_He liked to drink a lot of juice."_

"_There was a great big moose."_

"_There was a great big moose."_

"_He liked to drink a lot of juice."_

"_He liked to drink a lot of juice." _That was only the first verse. There were four verses in all, not to mention the refrain. I can sum it up in three words. It. Was. Torture. By the time we had finished the fourth verse, though, the rocks had moved away. Once we stumbled outside, Michael punched Connor in the stomach.

"Dude! What was that for?" Connor wheezed.

"That was for making us sing that stupid song. That was a disgrace to all music!"

"Dude! I liked that song!" Connor said.

"Really?" Michael asked.

"Nah. I was just pulling your leg."

**A/N- There we go! If anybody else knows that song, tell me. I just want to see if anybody does… Like it? Hate it? Review!**


	19. 19: Back to Camp

**A/N- Chapter 19! This story is drawing to a close…But not yet! Don't worry! Read! Enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer- 5 dollars says it's colder where I live then where RR lives. You think I'm wrong? You owe me 5 bucks.**

Chapter 19: Back to Camp

"Wait a minute," I said. "This looks wrong. Shouldn't it be daylight?" We had entered the Underworld at about 10 A.M. It looked to be about 11 P.M.

"You're right," Michael said. Connor checked his watch.

"It's 10:30 PM." he stated.

"How? We weren't in the Underworld that long, were we?"

"Time flows a little differently in the Underworld," Connor said.

"And even if it doesn't," Michael added, "it's hard to keep track of time when it's always dark."

"You're right. For now, though, I don't really care what time it is. Let's just find the camp van and get out of here. It's too quiet." About then the hellhounds seemingly melted out of the shadows and pounced on us. There were three of them. None of us had had our weapons out, and now I realized our mistake. I reached up to grab my earrings, only to find that they were gone._ Oh, right. Michael had used them to fight Ami._

I grabbed Michael's pack and started rummaging through it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Connor grab his sword and Michael using an arrow like a spear. He threw it at a hellhound, but it only hit its leg. A hellhound's teeth ripped open Connor's arm. He switched his sword to the other hand and stabbed the hellhound. It crumbled into dust. I finally found my earrings in the bottom of Michael's pack. I grabbed them and started putting stuff back in. _Stop. There'll be time for that later._

I stood up, knives in hand, and threw them simultaneously at the nearest hellhound. They hit its side and the hellhound crumbled into dust. I recovered them and looked over to see how Michael was doing. He had three arrows on his bowstring and had just released them. They hit the hellhound high, low, and in the middle and it crumpled into dust. I was reminded of Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies. You know, how he'd shoot three or four arrows at once? "Sweet shot, Michael!"

"Thanks. Is that all of them?"

"What, do you _want _more of them to jump out and attack you?" Connor asked, holding his arm.

"No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure." We repacked Michael's bag and started off in the direction of the camp van. When we got there, though, we found a strange sight. It appeared that the hellhounds that had attacked us had also ravaged the van. The windows were broken and the seats were torn up. Michael checked the glove compartment. Apparently, there was usually some ambrosia and nectar stored in there. However, the nectar was spilled and the ambrosia was tiny crumbs.

"Why does it always happen to us?" Connor winced.

"I don't know," Michael snapped, "Don't ask _me_."

"Tired much?" Connor asked.

"Shut up, Connor. All that running has blown the brains out of your head."

"Huh. Well at least I'm not showing off and using three arrows at once. Was that even necessary?"

"Says the boy who can't even hit the target!"

"Guys, stop!" I said. "Do you _want _to start a fight?"

"That'd be nice," Connor muttered under his breath.

"Who's driving?" I asked.

"Connor, probably," said Michael, "'cause I'm too short and you don't have a license. Where's the key?"

"Didn't you have it?" I asked Connor.

"No, I thought Michael had it."

"I don't have it," exclaimed Michael, "I thought Khristi had it!"

"Well, I don't have it either!" I said.

"Shouldn't _you _have remembered it, since _you're_ the daughter of Athena here?" Connor queried.

"You were driving! You should have remembered it!"

"Guys," Michael started, but nobody listened to him.

"If you're so smart, _you _should have had it!" Connor said.

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Connor and I yelled.

"The key's right there," Michael said weakly, pointing to the ignition. Sure enough, there was the key.

"Sorry," I muttered. I could feel my face heating up. "I was just worried something had happened to it."

"Me too," Connor said.

"Well, it's here, so let's get going. I call the front seat," Michael said.

"What! You had it on the way here!"

"No, you did! And if I sit in the back again, I'll probably get sick and throw up in the seat, and then we'll be in trouble."

"We'd already be in trouble for trashing the van," Connor put in.

"But that wasn't even our fault!" Michael said.

"Actually it was," I stated, "because the van probably smelled of demigods. Even though none of us were that powerful, the three of us together would provide a strong scent and draw any monsters in the area."

"Guys, just get in the van," Connor said, sliding into the driver's seat. "Michael, take the front."

"What!" I said.

"Khristi, you had it on the way here." Connor stated. Michael took the front seat. I slid into the back. "Now, let's see if this will actually start," Connor said. He turned the key, and amazingly enough, the van started. He started driving.

_20 minutes later…_

We'd gotten a ways outside the city when the van stopped. "What's wrong now?" Michael asked, looking annoyed.

"We're out of gas," Connor said.

"You should have remembered to get some!" Michael said angrily.

"Dude! I left my supply of mortal money back at camp!"

"You should have brought it!" I exclaimed.

"Guys, the past is the past," Connor said, "The point is, I forgot. We have two choices. We can sit in the van and hope someone comes along, or we can start walking."

"Sit and wait," Michael said.

"Walk," I added, "sitting will attract every monster in the area."

"I guess." We started walking. About half an hour later it started raining.

"What! How? Why does it always happen to us?" Connor grumbled.

"Thanks a lot, Zeus," Michael muttered. Lightning flashed, spelling "You're welcome" across the sky. "I was being sarcastic," Michael said.

"Should we go back?" I asked.

"No," Connor explained, "It's about the same distance from here to the camp as from here to the van."

"Okay. Anybody have an umbrella?"

"No."

"No."

"Of course not. We wouldn't. Just our luck." I said. We kept walking. Ten minutes later I started sneezing. Five minutes later we saw the pillars of camp in the distance. I started shivering. Connor and Michael started sneezing. When we stumbled into camp, I was shivering violently. Connor and Michael were only shivering lightly. Then again, they'd been wearing heavier clothes then I had.

"We should probably get you to the infirmary," Michael said. "You probably have a mild form of hypothermia. The nights have started cooling down, and combining that with a long walk in the rain could be bad."

"Really, I'm fine," I started, "you don't have to take me-"

"Yes, actually I do," Michael said, cutting me off. "We don't want to take a chance." He started steering me towards the infirmary.

"Wait," I said, "I should at least get some dry clothes." I broke away, ran to the Athena cabin, and grabbed some clothes. Everybody was sleeping, so I changed quickly. I stepped out of the cabin. Michael was waiting for me outside. He pushed a very reluctant me into the infirmary.

"Now, lay down in one of the empty beds." he ordered.

"Really, I should be back in the Athena cabin," I protested.

"Look. I'm not saying this as Michael Yew. I'm saying this as a trained professional medic. And you_ will _listen to me." he scowled.

"Fine. Fine." I lay down in the bed. I still couldn't stop shivering. Michael left the room. A couple minutes later he came back and draped a blanket over me. The scratchy wool tickled my chin. He shivered as a gust blew open the door. He went over and locked it. I noticed that he was still in his wet clothes. "You should get dry clothes on," I remarked.

"I'm fine."

"Now who's being stubborn?"

"Okay. Whatever." A few minutes later he came back in dry clothes. "Now I have to go see how Connor is." He went back out into the rain and came back a minute later.

"How's Connor?"

"He's dry and sleeping hard, like you should be." he yawned.

"You should go to sleep." I said.

"Fine. Fine. Whatever." He turned off the lights in the infirmary, lay down a couple beds away, and was asleep in about five seconds. As I lay there, trying to sleep, I suddenly remembered something.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?" he said sleepily.

"It was my birthday today."

Michael laughed. "What a day to pick for your birthday. You get pushed off cliffs, traded for books, and have to walk to camp in the pouring rain."

"You forgot to mention singing the moose song."

"Oh, yeah. That too. Now- GO TO SLEEP!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to sleep."

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"Goodnight."

"G'night." I stayed awake for a little while longer, then fell asleep.

**A/N- And there we go. Chapter 19. Review?**

**-smartone101**


	20. 20: The Threat is Ended Or is it?

**A/N- chapter 20! Much, much thanks to Silents-in-the-Library for reviewing every chapter! If you haven't read their story "Children of the Prophecy", then by all means, read it! We might be planning a collision once our respective stories have ended. *hint hint* ;) With no further ado (I love that line!), I give you…CHAPTER 20! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Ha! I just bought the rights to PJO! JK. Darn. **

Chapter 20: The threat is ended- or is it?

I woke up on my side in the infirmary. For a minute I thought our whole quest was all a dream, but the throbbing pain in my back snapped me back to reality. I sat up and looked around. Michael was over giving nectar to someone I didn't recognize, maybe a new camper. I checked the clock over on the wall. It was 10:30. _Not too bad, considering that we got here at about 1 AM,_ I thought. _Looks like I haven't missed much. _I gingerly reached over and touched the bandages on my back. They were firm under my fingertips, but the flesh around them felt unusually warm. _I hope I'm not getting an infection._

I got out of the bed and started quietly making my way to the door, hoping to sneak out before Michael noticed. A voice stopped me short. "Where do you think you're going?" _Michael. _I'd been caught.

"I was going back to the Athena cabin, and then over to the pavilion to see if there's anything to eat."

"Not until I've checked that wound on your back." I sighed.

"Michael, I'll be fine."

"Khristi, we've been through this before. We can't afford to take any chances."

"Fine. Whatever." I lay back down on the bed. I could feel Michael carefully lift my shirt and peel away the bandages.

"See, I was right," he said. "There's a slight infection setting in, probably because it's been sitting in wet bandages." I felt something being poured over it and heard Michael humming something under his breath. There was a sharp flash of pain immediately before a sense of relief and a sharp decrease in the pain.

"Michael, what did you just do?"

"I healed you. Well, most of the way. There's still a wound there, and it will probably scar, but it should heal a bit faster. I'll just bandage that up again…" he trailed off. "There. Done." I sat up and looked over at him. He looked drained.

"Michael, you shouldn't have done that!" I said.

"What's the use of powers if you can't use them?" he asked me.

"I would have been fine, you know."

"Yes, you probably would have, but it would have taken longer. And we'll need all the help we can get soon enough," he finished grimly.

"Why? Ami's gone," pain flashed across Michael's face, but I continued, "and as far as we know, she was the only one who was helping Tartarus rise."

"That's what she told us. She could have been lying." Michael said. I could tell he was trying hard to keep his voice steady, and I reminded myself that this _was_ his sister we were talking about.

"So there might be others?"

"Probably," he looked grim.

"Still, there's no way to find out unless they either try to recruit us or declare their loyalty." I said.

"We should still be on the lookout," Michael said. "Trust me. I've made it through one war already, and I don't want to have to fight in another."

"Okay, I'll be on my guard. But that doesn't mean we can't act like camp isn't perfectly normal." I got up from the bed and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I need food, Michael. I haven't eaten for more then 24 hours, and I'm starving!"

"Okay, fine. Just stay off the climbing wall today, and don't try anything too fancy in sword fighting. You don't want to strain that wound. Trust me, I know."

"Darn," I said sarcastically, "I was going to perfect my triple flip today,"

"Well, you'll have to do that another day," Michael said brusquely, turning to help a Hermes kid who had apparently tried to prank the Ares cabin and had gotten caught. "See you at lunch?"

"I'll be there. Now go! Aren't you late for Ancient Greek?"

"Okay, okay. I'm going." I left and ran for class. Michael's always a little grumpy when he works in the infirmary. I'm not sure why, although I suppose that's why the Apollo cabin doesn't make him work there often.

I came in and sat down as Annabeth began talking about some form of architecture. I tried to pay attention, but my mind kept wandering. _I wonder why Michael seemed so concerned about my back,_ I thought._ It's perfectly fine._ As if in response, someone poked me in the back, making me wince. I turned around and saw Connor smirking at me. "What?" I hissed.

"We were supposed to name an example of Greek architecture in the modern world," he hissed back.

"Thanks."

"Khristi, would you like to go next?" Annabeth asked from the front.

"Oh, uh…sure!" I said, and quickly named off some examples. As soon as Annabeth moved on to the next person, my mind started wandering again. _Stupid ADHD, _I thought, but I was also pretty sure that it was more then ADHD. I usually paid more attention in class. My thoughts kept going back to the quest and to Michael. _He's never like that with anybody else's injuries. Why me?_ _It's got to be more then just having people ready to fight._

After class, I decided to skip out on the climbing wall, which was next. Michael had ordered me not to do it, anyways. I went down to the lake and sat down on the edge of the dock, looking out over the water. Being near the water always seems to calm me down, which is mildly surprising considering the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena. I had been sitting there for a while before I noticed the stranger sitting by me.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi," they said glumly. I looked over. There was a girl, a couple years younger then me, with strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"Something wrong?"

"No, just everything."

"Huh?"

"I just got claimed by Nemesis."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Except that I'd really, really wanted to be claimed by-" I felt someone shove me hard, and I fell off the dock into the lake. After surfacing, I looked over and found that the girl had been pushed in, too. I looked up to see a smirking Connor Stoll.

"What was that for?" I asked angrily.

"No reason at all. You two were too glum, and you guys needed some action."

"STOLL! It's always you, isn't it?" roared the girl I had been talking to. "I HATE you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart," Connor smirked, then took off running.

"And I am not your sweetheart!" she yelled after him. We climbed out of the water and looked back at each other.

"Need help with revenge?" I asked.

"Sure thing."

"Meet me back here in five minutes, 'kay?"

"You're on." She turned and sprinted for the Hermes cabin. I went to the Athena cabin and changed out of my wet clothes. I ran back to the dock and arrived right after the girl. We sat down at the edge again.

"So, are you new?" I asked.

"Yeah. I came about a week ago. Name's Naomi. Naomi Ross, but most just call me Mimi."

"Khristi Johnson."

"Daughter of-?"

"Athena."

"Cool. Sweet shirt, by the way." I looked down at my shirt. It was grey and said "Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that."

"Thanks. So you're in the Nemesis cabin?"

"Yep. The only one. I'd wanted to be claimed by Athena or Demeter."

"That's too bad. Oh, well. Hey! That makes you the counselor!" Naomi laughed dryly.

"So, revenge," she said. "This had better be good."

"Oh, trust me, it will be. I've pranked them before, I can prank them again. Just our of curiosity, how old are you?"

"15. 16 in a couple months. You?"

"Just turned 16 yesterday. What've the Stolls been up to?"

"Well, when I came here, they did the jalapeno marshmallow one."

"I know that one. They did it to me, too."

"The next day, there was mud in my toothpaste. The day after, rocks in my pillow, after that-"

"I get the point," I cut in, "If you're sure you want to go ahead with this-"

"Oh, trust me. I am."

"Just be ready to run the next day."

"Why?" I told her about my prank and also about the ants. "Ah. I see. What did you have in mind for the Stolls?" she asked. I told her my plan. She grinned.

"You still sure you want to do this?" I asked.

"Heck yeah! This is EPIC!"

"Okay. We can't pull it off until tomorrow night, so today, we gather supplies. Do you have any paper?" she handed me a piece. "Okay, this is what we'll need." I wrote down the supplies and where to find them. I tore the list in half and handed one half to Naomi. "Okay, you get these, and I'll get the rest."

"What if somebody asks what we want these all for?"

"Tell them the truth. Most people are eager to help if it involves pranking the Stolls."

"Good," she said, "Now I'd better go get stuff." she jumped up and ran towards the Dionysus cabin.

"See ya, Mimi!" I called. "Sit by me at the campfire tonight!"

"Sure thing!" she yelled back over her shoulder. I grinned. _This should be fun…_

"Hey," a voice said beside me. I jumped and nearly fell off the dock again. I turned around.

"Michael? What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to see what you were up to, make sure you weren't doing anything that could be bad for your back. What _were_ you doing?"

"Oh, just planning a prank with Naomi Ross. She's in the Nemesis cabin. I 'm helping her get revenge on the Stolls."

"What! Not again!" Michael groaned.

"Hey, she needs some help."

"Okay. Just make sure that your prank doesn't involve anything that could stress your back."

"Whatever you say, _Mom._"

"Hey, I'm not a girl!" Michael said.

"My back will be _fine,_ Michael. You're not like this with anybody else, so why me?"

"Look, I just don't want you to get hurt." His eyes were big and worried. "I've lost my mother, my sister, my older brother. I couldn't stand to lose you, too," he blurted, then turned bright red.

"Okay. I can't promise you anything, but I'll try to be careful," I said.

"I've, um, gotta get back to the infirmary," Michael mumbled, then ran. _Okay then,_ I thought. _That was…interesting. Now to get those supplies._ I checked my list and headed for the camp store.

**A/N- Hope you liked it! I hope it wasn't too cheesy at the end. The older brother reference was to Lee Fletcher. He was like an older brother to Michael, so when he was killed…yeah. Review?**

**-smartone101**


	21. 21: It's Another Epic Prank

**A/N- It wouldn't be as humorous without another prank, so I give you…CHAPTER 21! With another epic prank! *evil laugh***

**Disclaimer: Dude. You still think I own Percy Jackson?**

Chapter 21: It's another Epic Prank!

_Naomi's POV_

_1. Any kind of soda - Dionysus cabin_.

Well, here I was. I knocked on the door. It was answered by Pollux, the only kid in the Dionysus cabin. I'd heard he had a twin that died in the Battle of the Labyrinth. "Um, hi," I said.

"Hey. You're that kid in the Nemesis cabin. Naomi, right?"

"Actually it's just Mimi."

"Okay. Come on in, Mimi." I entered the cabin. Grape vines were everywhere. There was a huge fireplace at one end of the room.

"Nice cabin." I said.

"Thanks. So, what is it you need?" Pollux asked.

"Well, um…" I hate asking for stuff. "I needed a lot of soda. Any kind. Khristi told me to come and get it from you, cause your dad's the god of wine and stuff so…"

"Well, right now, he's more like the god of Coke, but I know what you're getting at. How much do you need?"

"How much do you have?"

"A lot." Pollux said, waving his hand at the barrel in the corner, "That barrel is mostly full."

"Okay. I'll probably need about…half of it."

"May I ask for what?"

"It's for a prank on the Stolls, but don't tell anyone."

Pollux laughed. "This should be good. When is this prank?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Okay. Tomorrow morning, I'll move this into your cabin. It's the black one with the swords over the door, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Good luck!" I left and glanced down at the list.

_2. A pin - ask anybody._

I asked the first person I saw, a girl from Demeter. She gave me a pin without asking what it was for. I put it carefully in my pocket.

_3. 2 or 3 logs - steal from by the fire pit._

I headed over to the fire pit. Sure enough, not far away was a stack of logs. I grabbed three large ones and put them behind a bush. Then, one at a time, I went around behind the cabins until I reached mine. I went in through the back door and stuffed the logs under three separate beds.

_4. Sleeping pills - Morpheus or Hypnos cabin_

Hypnos was closer, so I went there. I walked in and nearly fell asleep. I turned to the nearest bed and shook the person in it. "Hey, you!" I yelled.

"Yeah?"

"I need sleeping pills. Do you have any?"

"Under the bed…" he started before falling asleep again. I reached under the bed and pulled out a box of sleeping pills._ There. Done,_ I thought.

_Khristi's POV_

_5. Superglue - Hephaestus cabin_

I still had some left, so I was good on that.

_6. A large wooden crate with a lid - Hephaestus cabin_

That, I did not have. I thought about going to the Hephaestus cabin, but suddenly was struck with a thought. I had seen a crate under a bed in the infirmary…I ran up the hill to the infirmary. The crate was gone.

_I'll check the Big House, just in case,_ I thought. Sure enough, under the ping-pong table was a stack of empty boxes. I grabbed the biggest one and headed for the Athena cabin. I was almost there when I saw Naomi. "Hey, Mimi!"

"Hi."

"How's it going?"

"I have everything. What's that for?" she pointed to the box I was holding.

"Oh, this? This was on my list."

"Where are you going to put that?"

"I don't know…"

"There's a closet in the Nemesis cabin if you want to use it." she said.

"Oh. Okay." I brought the box to the Nemesis cabin and stuffed it in the closet. That was two parts done.

_7. Two air mattresses - Aeolus or Zeus. If not, check the camp store._

_Okay,_ I thought. _Let's check Aeolus first._ I went over to the Aeolus cabin. It was sky blue with clouds actually moving across the outside. I knocked. A girl I didn't know answered. "Um, hi," I said.

"Hi. What do you want?" She asked crossly.

"I was wondering if you had any air mattresses I could borrow."

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, of course not."

"We don't have any. Go away." The door slammed in my face as I was blown backward by a big gust of wind. I slammed into a tree and winced as rough bark hit my back. _Let's try the Zeus cabin,_ I thought. There was nobody in the Zeus cabin. There weren't any beds, either. I was about to check the camp store when I spotted a closet. I opened it and was faced with inflatable air mattresses. _Perfect. Now how to inflate them…_I looked around and found an outlet in the wall._ There we go. Now tomorrow, all we have to do is inflate these and we're good to go._ I heard a conch horn blow and headed for the pavilion.

_Later at the campfire…_

"Hi Mimi!" I said as she sat down beside me. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yep. You?"

"Me too. Now, tomorrow at dinner, you have an important part to do. You have to…" I went on explaining to her. "Got it?"

"Yep. It'll be tricky, but I think I can pull it off."

"'kay. You know what we do once they're asleep, right?"

"Yeah. This is gonna be AWESOME!"

"Shhh," I said, "do you want them to hear us?"

"Hear what?" A voice asked. I looked up and saw Connor Stoll grinning down at us.

"Oh, nothing," I lied, "Just our Capture the Flag strategy for next Friday."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Why should we tell you?" Naomi said, scowling.

"Because I made an alliance with the Athena cabin yesterday."

"How do we know we can trust you?" I asked. "You could be lying to us."

"Alright everybody, back to your cabins!" Chiron said. Connor smirked and headed off towards Travis.

_The next morning…_

I skipped breakfast and instead went to the Zeus cabin. I grabbed two air mattresses and blew them up. Then one at a time, I dragged them behind the cabins until we were in the back of the Hermes cabin. I went in, took the Stolls' mattresses one at a time and dragged them out into the woods. Then I took the air mattresses in and put them on the beds instead. If we were lucky, the Stolls would never know the difference.

The day went by fast until it was time for dinner. After we got our food and were heading back towards our tables, we heard a crash. I turned around. The Stolls were sprawled on the floor. Connor had spaghetti in his hair. "I'm so so sorry!" Naomi said. "Here, let me get you some more food."

"No, we can get it ourselves," Travis said.

"But I was the one who accidentally tripped you! You _have _to let me make it up to you."

"Just let her do it, Travis," Connor said. Naomi grabbed a couple plates and gave the Stolls exactly what they'd had before. When nobody but me was looking, she mixed in a little white powder. _Sleeping pills. Ground up, of course._

"Here you go," she said, presenting the plates to the Stolls. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Nope." they chorused. Naomi turned to go back to her table, but first, catching my eye, she grinned. Let's just say that her grin was so mischievous, it made the Hermes kids look like angels.

That night the Stolls skipped the campfire. Michael had a night off from singing, so he came up and sat by me. We didn't talk much, just mainly sat and watched the fire. Afterwards, once everybody in the Athena cabin had gone to sleep, I sat up. I was still in dark jeans and a black shirt, all the better to sneak around in. I ran over to the Nemesis cabin and bumped into someone in the dark.

"Khristi?" I heard a familiar voice say.

"Michael? What are you doing here?"

"I came to help with this prank."

"How'd you know when we were pulling this off?"

"I guessed. You weren't at breakfast this morning, so I knew you must be up to something."

"Okay, you can help. I'll just have to clear it with Naomi."

"I already did that. I explained to her about your back and how somebody needed to be around to make sure you didn't do anything to it." he said. I shook my head in admiration.

"You think of everything, don't you?"

"Almost everything," Michael said, looking pleased. I crept into the Nemesis cabin.

"Mimi?" I hissed. No reply. I stepped forward and called her name again. A hand clamped over my mouth and I almost screamed. I heard an evil giggle.

"Hi, Khristi." a voice said in my ear. The hand over my mouth released it's hold.

"Mimi?"

"Who else?" That evil giggle again.

"Did you have coffee?"

"No. I'm just hyper at night."

"Guys? Everything okay in there?" Michael asked from the doorway.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." I replied. "Let's go. I've got the superglue. Mimi, do you have the pin?"

"Yep."

"Each of us should take a log," I said.

"A log? What are you guys doing?" Michael asked.

"No time to explain," I whispered. "Just do what we say."

"Okay." He grabbed a log. I did, too. We walked over to the Hermes cabin.

"Who should we do first?" Naomi asked.

"Connor," I hissed back. We lined up our logs. Naomi took one end of Connor's mattress. I was about to take the other end, but Michael stopped me and took it himself. They slowly pushed the mattress off the bed and onto the waiting logs.

"Okay, take it slowly," Naomi whispered. We slowly rolled the mattress forward on the logs. Once a log came out the back, I'd pick it up and put it in front. We slowly moved the mattress down to the lake and set it afloat. "Are you sure they know how to swim?" she asked.

"I've seen them. They swim like fish."

"If you're sure," she said. We did the same thing for Travis, then Naomi took the pin and poked one little hole in each mattress. "How long will it take for them to sink?" she asked.

"Long enough." I said. We went back to the Nemesis cabin. I grabbed the box, Naomi took the superglue, and Michael took the coke. We went over to the Hermes cabin, grabbed the Stolls' clothes, and put them in the box. Michael poured coke over it. Naomi took the lid and superglued it on. Then we went down to the lake and threw the box in after the Stolls, who were already pretty far out in the lake. The mattresses were already starting to deflate.

We sat in silence for a moment, then turned to head back to our respective cabins. I was almost to the Athena cabin when I felt a wet hand clamp over my mouth. _What next?_ I thought, wondering who this person was.

**A/N- Haha! Little cliffy! Guess who it is! I think this might be one of my longest chapters, too! REVIEW! Please?**

**-smartone101**


	22. 22: Late Night Interrogations

**A/N- Haha! Two chapters in one day! I wasn't going to write this until tomorrow, but the ideas were just kind of rattling around my head, so…yeah. Read! Enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer: If you still insist that I own PJO, I hereby dub you…Sir Random Imbecile! Haha!**

Chapter 22: Late Night Interrogations

I struggled against the hand over my mouth, but to no avail. I felt another wet hand on my back, and I was turned around and steered towards the Nemesis cabin. I popped a stick of gum in my mouth and chewed furiously. For some odd reason I generally chew gum when I'm thinking. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Michael being held by someone else. They seemed to be wearing all black. _Okay then,_ I thought, _This is very strange indeed._ I was pushed into the Nemesis cabin.

"Sit down on end of the bottom bunk, and put your hands out to the sides," a voice hissed in my ear. "Don't try anything." I did what it said. The person pulled one of my hands back to the pole connecting the upper and lower bunks and duct taped it. They then did the same to the other side.

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked. No reply. A quick glance showed me that Michael was tied in the same way I was. I couldn't see Mimi. Or, at least, I couldn't see her until somebody jumped down from the top bunk on top of the person who had tied me. Mimi landed directly on top of them. They were knocked to the ground and she landed on her feet like a cat.

"Travis, a little help here?" the squashed person asked. _Travis. That makes this Connor?_

"Connor?" I asked. Again, no reply. I turned my head and watched the mini battle raging across the Nemesis cabin.

Travis jumped on top of Mimi, squishing her between him and the person I assumed was Connor. Travis recovered and grabbed Mimi's shoulders, yanking her back and off of Connor. He put her on the opposite end of the bed Michael was tied to and tied her wrists the same way he had tied mine and Michael's. I realized the reason we couldn't see their faces was because they were wearing black ski masks.

"You realize that the black ski masks are _so_ cliché, right?" I asked.

"See, Connor, I told you she'd think the black ski masks were cliché." Travis said. "You owe me five drachmas." One figure handed the other drachmas.

"You know that we know who you are, right?" Michael asked, "So you can take those off." The two exchanged glances, then pulled off the masks in unison, revealing Connor and Travis. Connor had a bruise forming on his forehead and Travis had a split lip.

"Why did you bring us here?" I asked.

"Nobody else sleeps here," Travis said.

"So?"

"There's nobody at all around." Connor said. "Just you three and us, and judging from your condition, I'd say we're in charge."

"So why, exactly, have you invaded my cabin?" Naomi asked.

"For _questioning,_" Travis said. This would have sounded creepy except for the fact that when he said this he stroked an imaginary beard, which nearly made me crack up.

"About what?" Michael gasped. It appeared he was having the same troubles not laughing as I was.

"You know," Connor said.

"No, we don't," Naomi said dryly. "So tell us what this mysterious thing might be that we are to be questioned about."

"Yes, you do,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Whatever. I don't know what you guys are talking about."

"What were you just doing?" Connor asked.

"I was jumping on top of you and knocking you to the floor before getting squashed by Travis."

"I mean before that," Connor said.

"I heard you guys coming and was getting ready to attack."

"Before that?"

"I was trying to go to sleep. Duh. It's like 11:45 at night."

"Actually, it's 12:07." Connor stated.

"Who cares?"

"Give up on her," Travis said. "She's clearly being uncooperative."

" 'she' is sitting right in front of you, you know," Naomi said, sounding annoyed.

"Try Michael," Connor suggested.

"So, Michael, what exactly were you doing?" Travis asked, turning to Michael.

"I was going back to my cabin after checking on my pegasus," he said with a perfectly straight face. _He's really improved on lying,_ I thought.

"You don't have a pegasus," Connor said.

"I do now."

"Look, we know what you were doing. We're just seeing if you'll admit to it." Travis said. "If you do, we'll go easier on you,"

"Yeah, right," Michael spat. "What're you gonna do, anyways? Steal my guitar?" He was being sarcastic with a vengeance. I mentally applauded him.

"Khristi, you'll tell us, right?" Connor asked, facing me.

"Tell you what? I was out on the roof of the Demeter cabin, looking at the stars. I wanted to see if I could find Zoë." I looked at Michael and saw we both had the same crazy idea. I started inching the bed towards him and he started doing the same.

"Please tell us," Connor said, sounding for all the world like a five-year-old asking where his favorite toy is. He started to do a puppy dog face. He was pretty good at those, too.

"Oh, no. Not the puppy dog face," I groaned. In response, he kept doing it and leaned closer, keeping eye contact the whole time. I waited until he was really close, then _thwap!_ I spat out my wet, sticky gum using a trick I had learned from a friend back in kindergarten. It stuck right between his eyes, and I nearly cracked up.

"EEWWW!" Connor yelled. "What was that for?"

"See, that's what happens when little boys try to do the puppy dog face on me." I said, laughing. I could hear Travis, Michael, and Naomi cracking up in the background.

"So you still won't tell us what you were doing?" Connor said.

"Nope." Michael, Naomi and I said in unison. We kept inching the beds closer together.

"Travis, what do you think?" Connor asked.

"Should we take them to the Aphrodite cabin?" Travis said. "I have the note saying they all want makeovers."

"WHAT!" Naomi yelled, "NOT A MAKEOVER!"

"So you'll tell us, then?" Travis said, plopping down on the bed between her and Michael.

"Hmm. Maybe. For a price."

"Look, we don't have much time. The price is that we don't put you in the Aphrodite cabin." Connor said.

"Okay, fine. We were pulling a prank on you. So then why aren't you floating in the lake?"

"Because we suspected something was up when you offered to get us food," Connor said. "The Mimi I know would never do something like that."

"But then who was in the beds?" I asked.

"We swapped beds with James and Lyssa," Connor smirked.

"WHAT!" Michael said. "So all that work was for nothing?"

"No, not for nothing. You floated James and Lyssa out into the lake. That's not quite nothing," Travis said.

"Then how come you're wet?" I asked.

"We were hiding under the dock to see what you were doing."

"Dude! Get off my bed!" Naomi yelped, kicking Travis. "You're making it all wet!"

"Okay, so now that we know what you were doing," said Connor. "Travis, what do we do with them?"

"Dude, we had this worked out. We-"

"Take them to the Aphrodite cabin!" they chorused.

"But you said you wouldn't!" Naomi said, pulling off a perfect puppy dog face. Just then my hand touched Michael's. I slowly started pulling on the tape around his wrist with one hand. He started picking at the tape on my other hand with his hand.

"Should we really do that?" Connor asked. "Naomi _is _a child of Nemesis. Who knows what she could cook up for revenge."

"Yes, who knows," Naomi said before launching into a full out evil laugh. The look on the Stolls' faces was priceless. _I wish I had my camera,_ I thought. I finally found the end of the tape on Michael's hand and started pulling at it. I felt the tape around my left hand loosen. Michael had finished his part. I kept the hand up and started working on his other hand. He winced as I pulled a little too hard.

"Hey, what're they doing?" Travis asked.

"They're untying each other!" Connor said.

"Yes, we are," I said. "And it was working quite well, too."

"Khristi, there's a pocketknife under the sheets," Michael whispered. Naomi must have told him. I reached down with my free hand and grabbed the knife. I cut the tape holding my other hand before quickly turning around and started to cut Michael's. He had one hand free when Connor reached over and grabbed the knife away. Michael immediately started working on his other hand.

"Travis, where's the duct tape?" Connor asked.

"We're out. That was the last bit," Travis said. Michael succeeded in freeing his other hand. We each started working on one of Naomi's hands. I had almost gotten it when I felt hands grab my shoulders and yank me back. I did what I should have done the first time Connor had grabbed me. I brought my leg forwards, then thrust it backward as hard as I could, catching him in the shin. He yelped and jumped back. Michael finished with Naomi and the three of us ran out of the cabin like the harpies were after us. Connor and Travis ran out after us. And then, of course, because we all have such terrible luck, the harpies _were_ after us.

"Demigods are out of cabins!" one screeched. "Midnight snack for lucky harpies!" _Crap._

**A/N- So, how'd you like it? Review!**

**-smartone101**


	23. 23: Hiding, Harpies, and Fears

**A/N- chapter 23! *formal tone* due to unfortunate circumstances, we could not disclose the content of this chapter. The shroud burning for those eaten by harpies will be tomorrow at noon. *laughs* you bought that? Really? HA! I was kidding! What really happened…ah, just read the chapter.**

**Disclaimer- Dude. I should think you'd know by now that I don't own PJO. I'm just playing in RR's sandbox here. ;) **

Chapter 23: Hiding, Harpies, and Fears

_Michael's POV_

We ran outside with Travis and Connor chasing us. Once we were all outside and well away from the Nemesis cabin, I heard someone screech, "Demigods out of cabins! Midnight snack for lucky harpies!"

"Guys, it's the harpies! Run!" I yelled.

"Where?" Khristi asked. I looked over at her and saw the light of panic in her eyes.

"Into the cabins?" Naomi asked.

"_NO!" _Connor said. We stopped and looked at him. "Last time somebody did that, the harpies just followed them in. There were a lot of campers injured."

"Then where should we go?" I asked.

"The lake!" Travis said. "The harpies can't swim. If we go underwater, they eventually give up and go away."

"How do you know this?" Naomi asked suspiciously.

The Stolls shrugged. "Experience," they said simultaneously.

"Let's go! Look!" Naomi said, pointing. We turned and looked. The harpies were coming over the top of the hill. We ran toward the canoe lake. I stopped at the edge while the others splashed in. Just looking at the water brought back a flood of bad memories. _Falling, falling, can't breathe. _I gasped for air even though I was on dry ground.

"Michael, what's wrong?" Khristi asked, stepping out of the water.

"Bad memories. There's a reason I never go near water," I said.

"Would you rather be eaten?" her stormy eyes bored into mine. I slowly shook my head. "Then come on!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the water. I stopped.

"How far out are we going?"

"Not far. Just under the dock. Apparently the harpies never look there."

"Okay. I guess." I slowly entered the water, the waves lapping against my legs. I shivered, but it wasn't because of the cold. I _hate _the water. Khristi pulled me toward the dock, where the others were already crouching, only their heads visible above the water.

"Come on!" Khristi hissed. "The harpies are almost here!"

"Are you sure they won't find us?"

"I'm positive. I trust the Stolls."

"Well I don't!" I said. I happen to have an inherent distrust of Hermes' kids.

"For once in your life, you'll have to!" We were almost at the dock. Khristi dropped my hand and sunk into the water. I saw her swim underwater until l she was underneath the dock, where she surfaced between Travis and Naomi. I paused, reluctant to go under the water. The last time I did that…

_Flashback_

_Falling, hitting the water. Can't breathe. I was pulled out, but I looked up and saw an all too familiar eye patch. Sword at my throat. Golden eyes. A man in a black cloak. A finger reaching out and touching my forehead. Blackness._

_End flashback _(**A/N- for more information on this flashback, please read my other story, "Finding a Way Home"**)

I pulled back from the dock. "Michael, the harpies!" Khristi whispered. I looked back. The harpies were a couple yards away and closing the distance fast. I took a deep breath and dove under the water. For a moment, the memories threatened to engulf me, but I pushed them to the back of my mind. _Concentrate. Just swim._ I closed my eyes and swam for my life. I shot forward.

A hand on my arm brought me to a halt. My head slowly emerged from the water. "Stay very still," Connor whispered in my ear. "You might have given us away." I crouched in the water, trying not to shiver. The harpies flew around the dock.

"I smell demigods," one screeched.

"Where are they?" another asked.

"I can't see them." the third said.

"Under the dock! Check there!" the first one said.

"We're toast," I whispered. I'm pretty sure my face was white.

"_Swim! _Swim underwater, out into the lake!" Connor hissed.

"No!" I said. The Stolls and Naomi had already shot forward into the lake, leaving me and Khristi.

"Michael, we have to!" she whispered urgently.

"I- I can't!"

"Can you swim?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I- this is going to sound crazy- I'm afraid."

"Of the water?" I nodded weakly.

"Why-DUCK!" We ducked under the water as a harpy poked her head down to look. She kept looking back and forth until I thought my lungs were going to burst. When she finally pulled her head back up, I surfaced with a gasp.

"I hear them, but don't see them," the harpy screeched.

"There! Out in the lake!" another said. I looked out carefully. The Stolls and Naomi had surfaced farther out in the lake. They were treading water and probably trying to catch their breath.

"Should we go get them?" the harpy asked her companions.

"No. They're too far out and we might have to go _underwater._" one of them replied. I remembered that the harpies hate the water.

"Check under the dock one more time." We ducked as a harpy checked under the dock again.

"I see them! They're under water!" She said. _No,_ I thought. Her head disappeared and we surfaced.

"Swim!" Khristi said.

"I- I can't."

"You have to. You know how. Don't freeze up on me. Now, GO!" She grabbed my hand and pushed off. Once my head was under the water, things cleared up a bit. I started swimming underwater, occasionally looking back to make sure Khristi was still with me. Once we were out far enough out in the lake, we stopped and surfaced. "See. You can swim."

"Yeah, but still, I can't wait to be back on shore. The water- it brings back too many bad memories." _Golden eyes. Can't breathe._ I looked back at the harpies. They were hovering near shore. We waited a little longer until they had turned around and headed back over the hill. My teeth were chattering. "Can- can we go back?"

"Yeah. They're gone now." We swam back slowly and came ashore at about the same time as the Stolls and Naomi.

"You- you lied! The harpies found us!" I yelled at Connor.

"That was because you were too _scared_ to go underwater until they were almost on you! All they had to do was watch where you went!" Connor sneered.

"They would have figured it out anyways!"

"Guys, calm down!" Naomi said, "Do you want the harpies to hear us and come back?"

"No." the Stolls said.

"Good. Now let's go to sleep before it's morning." We split up and went back to our cabins. I fell asleep promptly, but my dreams were full of dark water and golden eyes.

_The next morning…_

_Khristi's POV_

I was still confused about last night. Why was Michael afraid of the water? I was pretty sure it had something to do with the war, but what? I'd have to ask Michael, and the chance to do that came right after breakfast. The Athena cabin had the climbing wall instead of archery, and I was still under strict orders not to try that yet. I went for a walk on the beach. Michael was sitting there, staring out at the water. "Hi Michael."

"Hey." I sat down and we sat in silence for a while. _Well, no time like the present…_

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you afraid of the water?"

"It's a long story-"

"I've got time."

"Well, you've heard about the second titan war, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, we were fighting Kronos' army at this one bridge. We were losing, until Percy and Annabeth came on Blackjack-" he went on, telling a tale that I found almost unbelievable. When he finished, I looked at him in shock.

"Did that really all happen?"

"Yep."

"Wow. No wonder you don't like the water. I bet that brings back bad memories."

"It does. I haven't gone swimming since."

"Except for last night."

"Right." Michael's hand rested on mine for a moment, then pulled away.

"Are you more comfortable with the water now, or…" my voice trailed off.

"I don't think I'll ever really get over what happened. I mean, I missed a whole year of my life, and-" he looked away as his voice broke a little, " -when I came back, nothing was really the same. Ami was older, she seemed different somehow. There were more cabins and so many new campers. Some old faces had quietly disappeared, and I never found out what had happened. People were different…It's like I woke up in a different place, with different people that just happened to have the same names that my friends had-" he trailed off, still looking the other way, as if he could stare his way back to the past.

"You know, Michael, the past is the past. We need to remember, but we also need to look forward. Nothing in the past can change, so we need to make the most of the present, make every day count." Michael looked over at me. A solitary tear had tracked its way down his face.

"How do you know? What's ever happened to you that leaves a permanent scar, one that changes who you are?"

"My brother died."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"It's just that- everything's changing so fast. It's like I'm standing on a roller coaster and trying to keep my feet." he said.

"If life's a roller coaster, then ours need some serious repairs," I cracked. Michael smiled. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. He looked at his watch quickly.

"It's time for my next archery class. I'd better go." He stood up. I stood too.

"See you,"

"See you. And thanks." He reached up, pulled my head down, and kissed my cheek quickly before turning and running across the sand like all of the Ares cabin was after him. I stood there for a minute, not thinking anything, just standing and watching Michael's retreating figure. _What the heck just happened? _ran through my head a couple times. Then I turned and headed for Arts and Crafts.

**A/N- Aww! I really didn't know how to write that, so…yeah. I took my best guess. Review?**

**-smartone101**


	24. 24: And Life Goes On

**A/N- Here's chapter 24. Not really anything else I need to say…**

**Disclaimer- Do I need to do this? Okay, fine, I don't own PJO. But I will, I will. I'm just biding my time. *evil laugh***

Chapter 24: And Life goes On

_Michael's POV_

_Oh, gods. What did I just do? _I asked myself. I had kissed Khristi. Okay, it was on the cheek, but it still counts, right? I slowed to a stop by the Apollo cabin and made an executive decision. I was going to skip my next archery class. We were teaching the Demeter cabin, and there were way more of us then there were them. Nobody would miss me.

I ran into the Apollo cabin and went upstairs. The Apollo cabin has two floors. The second floor has all of our instruments. I sat down with my guitar and started playing some random song. I think it was "Dance with Life". Music always helps clear my head. "Dance with Life" ended, and I started on another song.

After a while my fingers started to get sore. _One last song,_ I decided. I started to play, and before I knew it, I was singing. It took me a moment to realize what song I was singing. It was "Let's see how far We've Come". I laughed. _Isn't that such a coincidence. I'm thinking about Khristi and playing the song we sang together._ I kept playing. After a while I thought I heard something. I kept playing but stopped singing, instead listening. I heard someone singing down below me. I finished out the song and went down to find out who it was.

"Hi Michael." It was Khristi.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Will sent me to go and get you for lunch."

"_Lunch!_ It isn't time for lunch already, is it?"

"Look at the clock." I looked. It was time for lunch.

"Okay, tell him I'm coming." She turned and left. I stared after her for a minute before turning and going back upstairs to put my guitar away.

_Khristi's POV_

Michael seemed…normal. Or at least like he was trying to act normal. I wonder which one it was. At lunch, he kept looking over at me. I didn't look back. Well, okay. I looked over at him a couple times when I thought he wasn't looking. He'd turn his head, see me, and we'd both look away quickly. I'd try to seem normal, but I don't think it worked that well, because Jonah kept giving me funny looks throughout lunch.

After lunch, we went to archery. I ended up with Will Solace, since Jonah immediately pulled Michael aside. I glanced over at them a couple times. It looked like Jonah was giving Michael a serious questioning and Michael kept trying to go back to the archery lesson. I didn't realize I was staring until Will grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. "What?" I asked.

"Stop staring at them! It's no secret that you like Michael, but you can't let that distract you from what's at hand!" he hissed furiously.

"Wha- how did you know?"

"I'm not blind. Or deaf. You two keep looking at each other, hanging out together. Michael talks when he sleeps. That's always useful for gaining information. Now, go get your arrows. If you're in the middle of a battle, you can't let anything distract you."

_Is it that obvious?_ I thought. _Or is Will just that good at observing things?_ "I'm just that good at observing things. Especially when it has something to do with Michael. He's been too down and depressed since he came back after the war. Once you came and you two started getting close, he started to brighten up a bit." Will said.

"Huh? Was I thinking out loud?"

"Yes. You seem to do that a lot, you know."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now- _go get those arrows!_"

"Okay, okay. I'm going." I went and retrieved the arrows. I paid attention the rest of the class. After archery, we had sword fighting. Michael had _finally_ allowed me to fight, but I had lost some practice time and was a little rusty. When I got to the arena, I was surprised. The Hermes, Nemesis, and Ares cabins were all down there. Okay, so the Nemesis cabin was only Naomi, but the Hermes cabin is pretty large. "What are we doing?" I asked. Percy answered.

"We're having a group challenge, to see how you'd fight in an actual battle. It's me and the Ares cabin against the rest of you guys. First, though, to make sure nobody get's killed, we have this spray-" he held up a small bottle, "that temporarily dulls the blades of your weapons. The Hecate cabin came up with it. Don't worry, it wears off." he added, seeing the shocked look on some people's faces. "We're doing this in the woods. It's a little like Capture the Flag, but on a smaller scale. Whoever has the fewest people down by the end of ten minutes wins."

"Why isn't whoever has the most people standing wins?" Connor called out.

"Because we'd have to do more work that way." Percy said. "Everybody, there are more bottles of this stuff over there. Go spray it on your weapons." Everybody flooded over and sprayed the stuff on their weapons. I did so, then rubbed the blades of my knives. There seemed to be a slippery block between my hand and the blade.

"Everybody ready?" Percy asked us. There were grim nods all around. "You guys have two minutes head start. GO!" We ran. There wasn't really a plan. We just fanned out in the woods. I crouched down by a tree. I could see the faint shape of one of the Hermes campers a few feet away. I heard someone crashing through the undergrowth.

"Hey, you hear that?" the Hermes camper whispered.

"Yeah. On the count of three, jump out and ambush them."

"Roger."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," they said.

"One…two…THREE!" we jumped out and came face to face with…Percy.

"Hey, Perce," the Hermes camper said weakly. The voice seemed familiar. I turned my head to see who it was. It was Travis.

"Stoll." I said.

"Johnson." he acknowledged.

"Good luck, man."

"Same." We charged. Travis met Percy head on while I snuck around to the back._ Couldn't we have gotten someone who didn't have the curse of Achilles?_ I wondered. Percy was engaging Travis in full blown out warfare. Riptide hit Travis' shin hard and he winced in pain. _That's my cue._ I threw one of my knives at Percy's back. I clanged off with a noise suspiciously like metal hitting metal. Percy turned, leaving Travis on the ground.

"Do you have armor on?" I asked.

"Nope. Just Achilles' curse." I gained my other knife and charged. I mainly just tried to keep Percy occupied, but I was outclassed. Riptide hit me in the gut and I fell. I looked up at Percy and my eyes widened. Riptide was swinging down in an arc probably intended to knock me out. I rolled to the side, but the flat of the blade hit my shoulder. _That's gonna be a nasty bruise._ I stayed still, waiting for a time when it would be advantageous to regain my feet.

Travis was still trying to get behind Percy to get at his Achilles spot. It wasn't working. Percy was too good at swordplay to let Travis gain any advantage. Suddenly a sword came seemingly out of nowhere and hit Percy in the shoulder. He turned. I followed his gaze and saw Connor behind us. He smirked. "Hi, Percy." Travis took a chance and whacked the flat of his blade against the small of Percy's back. A shocked look came over Percy's face and he stumbled forward.

"Give up?" Travis panted. Percy didn't say anything. He was flat out on the ground. I got up and checked for a pulse, just to make sure. It was there.

"Way to go Travis. You've knocked Aqua boy out." I said.

"Hey, I helped," Connor whined.

"Way to go, Connor," Travis said. We stood still for a second, relishing our victory. That was a mistake. Five Ares warriors crashed out of the undergrowth. Travis and Connor had put their swords down, and we were quickly overwhelmed. Travis was knocked out with a blow to the head right away. Connor scrambled to get his sword. A boy from Ares blocked him. Connor kicked him hard and he went down.

We each took on a couple Ares kids at once, but I was already tired from fighting Percy. They were about to overwhelm us when the tree I was backed up against suddenly gained a life of its own. The upper branches started to rustle. The Ares kids looked up and I used their surprise to hit one of their heads with the flat of one of my knives, effectively knocking them out. That turned their attention back to us.

One of the Ares campers was facing me, and two were against Connor. I was holding my own, but Connor was not making it. One of them hit him in the ribs. They were about to follow it up with a kick when a figure sprang down fro the tree and landed on them. Everybody turned and looked. It was Naomi. "Hey." she said nonchalantly.

"Hi. Impeccable timing, Mimi." I replied.

"Thanks. Now, ATTACK!" Connor sprang up and the three of us took the Ares kids on. We were still fighting when a conch horn blew.

"It's over." Connor said. We looked over the scene. Percy, two Ares campers, and Travis were down.

"So that means that it's 1 to 3," I said. "or at least for this little group."

"Huh?" Connor asked.

"We have one person down, and they have three," Naomi explained. "Now, everybody pick up a person. We have to get them all back to camp." Naomi and I took Percy, Connor grabbed Travis, and the Ares kids took care of their own.

"Nice fighting, Mimi," I said as we hauled Percy through the brush.

"Thanks. You guys were doing pretty well on your own, though."

"We still would have lost without your help."

"We might have still lost," she said. I looked at her quizzically. "There were other campers out there, you know."

"Oh. Right." We were almost back to camp when Naomi looked at me.

"Do you like Michael?"

"What? What kind of a question is that?"

"One that I'm wondering. I've seen how you two look at each other, how you spend so much time together, how-"

"Stop. Just- stop. Okay? If you must know, I do like Michael. But as a friend."_ First Will, now her. What is it with these people?_

"_Just_ as a friend?"

"Yes. Just as a friend. And don't be pointing out examples, either. I've seen how you look at Connor."

"_Connor? _What does Connor have to do with all this?"

I smirked. "Figure it out yourself."

"Figure what out?" a groggy voice said. I looked down at Percy. His eyes were fluttering open.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself about," I said. "Mimi, he's awake. We can drop him." She grinned.

"Gladly." We dropped Percy like a stone.

"Ow. What was that for?" he groaned.

"Because you're heavy." Naomi said. "Like, _really _heavy."

"It's a side effect of Achilles' curse."

"That doesn't make you any lighter. Now- forward MARCH!" Naomi said.

"You sound like a drill sergeant when you do that," I remarked, smiling.

"I know. That's why I do it."

**A/N- There you go. Come on, people. I know you're busy, but please review this thing. It's probably gonna end soon. Not yet, though. There's still a couple things that need to happen… *evil laugh***

**-smartone101**


	25. 25: The Great Pun Off

**A/N- I'm back! Here we go again! With CHAPTER 25! Yeah! **

**Disclaimer: I'd like to thank everybody who thinks I own Percy Jackson. It's too bad you're wrong. Or maybe it's a good thing I don't own PJO. I'm not as good at this writing thing as RR.**

Chapter 25: The Great Pun-off

So it turns out that the Ares cabin and Percy won. Oh, well. When it came to our little group, though, we were definitely the winners. Not much happened the rest of that day, or at least not until the campfire.

We were all sitting by the campfire. It was Michael's night off, so we were sitting together. Connor, Travis and Naomi were sitting by us. Jonah was glaring at Michael. The Stolls were smirking, Naomi was punning, and the Apollo cabin was leading most of the campers in the usual songs. In other words, it was pretty normal.

"What were you and Will talking about during archery?" Michael asked. I jumped. That question was really out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"Will was telling you something. I'm not blind, you know. Nor am I deaf. When Will orders somebody to go do something at pretty much the top of his lungs, it generally means he was just telling that person something. Plus he kept looking over at me."

"Oh, that. It was nothing. Besides, Jonah kept telling you something, too. And I have a hunch it didn't have anything to do with archery." Michael turned red.

"I'll make you a deal," he said. "You tell me, and I'll tell you. Deal?"

"Deal."

"You first."

"What?"

"Hey, I asked first." Michael said.

"Okay, fine. I was looking over at you two and Will told me to stop staring."

"Is that it?"

"Yes."

"You know, I can tell when you're lying." Michael said.

"Fine. He said, and I quote 'Stop staring at them! It's no secret that you like Michael, but you can't let that distract you from what's at hand!'" Michael turned an even brighter shade of red.

"You- like me?" he stuttered.

"As a friend." I said, blushing._ Oh, gods. This is so embarrassing. _

"Ah." Michael said. He stared at the fire. We sat there in silence for a while.

"You never told me what Jonah said."

"Oh, that. It's nothing."

"Hey, we had a deal. I told you what Will said. Now you have to tell me." I wasn't sure I wanted to know this, but I'm a stickler about deals. Michael muttered something very quickly under his breath. "What? I couldn't hear you."

"I said: Jonah said, and I quote 'You like my sister. And she likes you. I don't like that, but I want her to be happy. Now, if you break her heart, I swear on the river Styx that I will tie you up, run you over with my car until you're almost dead, burn your body, step on the ashes, bury them, dig them up so I can run over them again, step on them again, and then drop them in the ocean for the sharks to eat.'" Now it was my turn to stare at Michael. "Hey, I didn't say that. Jonah did." he defended.

"Jonah makes some pretty hardcore threats."

"Yeah."

"But what I was thinking about was what Jonah said first."

"Oh. That." Michael reddened.

"Is it true?"

"What?"

"That you like me."

"As a friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Hey, stop grilling me! Yes, just as a friend." Michael scowled slightly.

"Okay then," a voice broke in.

"Connor, were you listening to that?" Michael asked.

"No, I just overheard it. I wasn't trying to listen in or anything."

"Yeah, right, Connor," Naomi said. "You were hanging on every word. Travis was, too."

"Hey! Don't accuse us!" Connor pouted. "You were listening, too."

"Mommy, he's tattling again!" Naomi said in a little kid voice, looking up at the sky. The darkness behind us got a little heavier, and in the sky, the constellation Libra (the scales) began to glow a bit brighter. (For those who don't know, the scales are the sign of Nemesis.) I guess Nemesis was paying attention.

"Sorry," Connor said quickly. I guess he doesn't want Nemesis mad at him.

"Apology accepted," Naomi said smugly. Libra died down again. Connor let out a sigh of relief. I laughed.

"What?" Connor asked.

"Nothing- it's just- so funny- that you're so- scared of her- mother!" I gasped between laughs. Connor scowled.

"_It's not funny_!"

"Aw, he sounds like a little kindergartener," Michael said, and we all cracked up again. Once we stopped, Naomi held up her hand.

"Hold on a sec. I feel a pun coming on."

"Not another one!" Connor said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because her puns are all terrible!"

"Oh, yeah?" Naomi challenged. "I bet you couldn't do any better!"

"Yeah! I could totally do better then you!"

"No you couldn't!"

"Yes I could!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"Guys, stop," Travis said. "There's got to be a way to resolve this."

Michael and I looked at each other and had the same crazy idea. "A pun war!" We said simultaneously. Connor looked confused.

"What's that?"

"It's when you have a face off with Naomi to see who has the best puns." I explained.

"When should this be?" asked Naomi. She looked thrilled by this idea.

"How about tomorrow? We don't have anything going on, so it will be held…after lunch!" Travis said.

"That'll work," Naomi said. "Who's judging?"

"I will," Travis said.

"No, you can't." I explained, "You'd favor Connor because he's your brother. I'll judge."

"Hey, I'm judging too!" Michael said. "We need more then one judge."

"What's the rules?" Naomi asked.

"Michael and I will figure out the rules. You two," I pointed to Connor and Naomi, "just work on your puns."

"Okay."

"Wait a minute!" Connor said. "There's no incentive to win this thing!"

"I have an idea," Michael said. "Each of you, give us fifty drachmas. The collection goes to the winner." They handed over the drachmas. "Plus, the winner has bragging rights."

"Perfect." Connor agreed. We all split up to go to our cabins when I thought of something.

"Stop!" they stopped.

"What is it?" Naomi asked.

"You and Connor, give me any technology you have. You have to make up these puns." Connor groaned, but they ran to their cabins and brought out phones, laptops, and just about anything else they could possibly find puns in. "Good. Now, goodnight everybody!"

"Goodnight," they chorused.

_The next day, after lunch…_

The four of us assembled for the Great Pun-off. Michael and I had spent the morning making the rules and finding props. We had convinced the Hephaestus cabin to give us two makeshift podiums, which were for the two contestants. Michael and I had dragged out a table and two chairs. A couple people from other cabins came to watch what was happening.

"Okay, people, listen up!" I said. Here's the rules: no inappropriate puns. We have some younger audience members here. Each of you will, in turn, step up to the podium and make one pun. Michael and I will hold up a score for that pun based on what we thought of it. Our scorekeeper, Angel, will figure out the average of our two opinions and write down the score. Whoever has the most points at the end of ten rounds wins. Got it?"

A chorus of yes came from the two contestants and from the small audience. We were out on the beach so they were all sitting in the sand. I know you're all asking me why a 12-year-old is the scorekeeper. I only have one ting to tell you. Angel's a math genius. She's in 6th grade and doing College Algebra. No other explanation is necessary. "Connor, you go first," Michael said. We seated ourselves and the audience quieted down as Connor stepped up.

_Round 1_

"The waffle iron was invented for people who had wrinkled waffles," Connor deadpanned. Some people laughed, others groaned.

Naomi: "When water pistols were first invented, people had squirtains on their windows."

_Round 2_

Connor: "The Second amendment give us the right to keep and arm bears"

Naomi: "The largest order of Chinese food delivered to the White House weighed won ton."

_Round 3_

Connor: "Old burglars never die, they just steal away!"

Naomi: " 'What was your profession?' asked the cannibal chief.

'I was editor of my company paper'

'Good,' smiled the cannibal chief, 'tomorrow you will be editor-in-chief'."

_Round 4_

Connor: "When two egotists meet, it's an 'I' for an 'I'."

Naomi: "In a stationary store: Prices on everything are going up but our writing paper remains stationary."

_Round 5_

Connor: "Mama firefly to her husband, commenting on their son: 'he's bright for his age, isn't he?'"

Naomi: "Dentists oath: The tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth."

_Round 6_

Connor: "Wrestling: a sport which gets a hold on you"

Naomi: "a monster with a drip-dry suit is called a wash-and-were-wolf"

_Round 7_

Connor: "College bread is a four year loaf made out of the old man's dough."

Naomi: "an astronomer was asked about flying saucers and replied, 'no comet'"

_Round 8_

Connor: "A clergyman was greeted by a friendly parishioner and remarked, 'I can't remember your name, but your faith is familiar.'"

Naomi: "Moth: Green thtuff that growth on the north thide of treeth."

_Round 9_

Connor: "a Mexican girl said to another that she had the best husband in all of Mexico. 'No he isn't,' the other replied, 'you should have seen the Juan that got away!'"

Naomi: "There's no gift like the present!"

_Round 10_

Connor: "Doctor, I've got Bright's disease and he's got mine."

Naomi: "A young theologian named Fiddle,

Refused to accept his degree

He said, 'it's bad enough being Fiddle,

Without being "Fiddle, D.D."'"

"That's all, people!" I said after Naomi finished. "And the winner is…"

**A/N- Haha! Cliffy! Now, this is where you people get to vote. Read over the puns. Decide who's' the best. Vote for the winner! This one is up to you! Review! And vote!**

**-smartone101**


	26. 26: Camp Ends

**A/N- Alas, my friends, we have come to the final chapter. But never fear! There will (probably) be a sequel! I haven't decided on the name yet, but I will update this story telling you what it is once it has been published! **

**Disclaimer- For the last time *sobs* ever on this story, I do not, haven't ever, and never will own PJO.**

Chapter 26: Camp's End

"NAOMI ROSS!" I finished. Naomi screamed. Trust me, you do not want to hear that.

"I think that just broke my eardrums," Michael muttered to me.

"Naomi, please come forward to receive your prize," I said, pulling the drachmas out from under the table. Naomi came up and took them, grinning from ear to ear. Like, literally from ear to ear.

"Naomi!" Connor yelled above the cheering.

"What!"

"Come here! I have something for you!" The Stolls were smirking, but Naomi went over anyways.

"What is it?" she asked. Travis grinned and brought out a bucket from behind his back. Before Naomi could react, he lifted it and dumped it on her. Water balloons of all shapes and sizes came tumbling out. Naomi was soaked. Everybody started laughing even harder.

"That was from me," Travis said.

"And this," Connor tilted her head up and planted a kiss on her lips. Naomi blushed like crazy and pulled away, "was from me."

"Okay, then," Michael murmured, looking very uncomfortable.

"Um, uh…STOLL! Did you, or could I possibly have imagined it, did you just kiss me?" Naomi yelled. Connor nodded nervously. "Thanks," she said more softly, before pulling his head down and kissing him back. That was about when Michael and I decided to sneak away. Once we were well away, we sat down by a cabin and laughed our heads off.

_About a week later…_

"Come on, you two, stop denying it. You totally like each other." Naomi said. Ever since she started going out with Connor, it's been her mission to get Michael and I together.

"No, we don't," I said, then blushed bright red when I realized Michael and I had said it at the same time.

"Denial. It's not just a river in Brazil."

"It's in EGYPT! Not Brazil!" I said, rolling my eyes. You know how some Athena kids are into architecture, some are into math, and that kind of thing. Well, I'm into learning about river systems. I'm still not quite sure why.

"Whatever."

"And actually, it's not really just one river. It's two large rivers, the White Nile and The Blue Nile, that join into one river that's commonly referred to as the Nile. The Blue Nile starts-"

"I'm going," Naomi said. "Information overload." She walked off.

"Brazil. How could she think the Nile is in Brazil!" I continued.

"Her point wasn't about the Nile, you know," Michael said. "What she was trying to say is that we're denying that we like each other."

"Ah. I see."

_Two weeks later…_

I walked into the Athena cabin after dinner and saw the note on my bed. It was the end-of-summer notice stating that if I was going to stay at camp for the winter, I needed to tell Chiron or Mr.D by the end of the day. If not, I had to be out of camp by the end of the day. I had already made up my mind. I was going home.

I sat on the bed and thought about home. My dad teaches World History at a college. The thing is, he's pretty forgetful, which is why I'm going home. He'd probably forget to eat if I didn't remind him. I laughed, then started to pack my bag. Lucas' CD, my clothes, my books…I looked over my books, or rather, my book. I had traded the Lord of the Rings and had given Cerberus the _House on Mango Street_. All I had left was one of my personal favorites, _To Kill a Mockingbird._

"Hey," the voice startled me and I looked around. Michael as standing in the doorway.

"You shouldn't scare me like that!"

"Sorry. I just wanted to see if you were going home or staying here."

"I'm going. My dad would probably forget to eat if I wasn't around to remind him." I said, smiling. "What about you?"

"I'm staying here. My mom's dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Hey, you want to head down to the pavilion? They're handing out the camp beads."

"Okay." We went down to the pavilion. I brought my bag with. It had been barely full when I had come to camp, but now it was full. My camp shirt, a supply of drachmas…I had added a few things. I took a necklace and looked at the bead. It was black, which highlighted the squashed tomato in the center all the more.

"What does this represent?" I heard someone ask.

"It represents the Great Pun-off." I replied, turning around.

"The what? Oh, that. I wasn't there for that. Didn't think it was important."

I laughed and slipped the necklace over my head. The sun was setting as I walked up the hill to the camp entrance. I looked back over the camp.

"Hey."

"Hi Michael. What are you doing up here?"

"You didn't think you could slip out of camp without saying goodbye to me, did you?"

"I guess not."

"Well, anyways, I just wanted to say goodbye. Be careful. There are a lot of monsters out there."

"I'll be careful." I turned to go, but Michael's voice stopped me again.

"Oh, yeah. I have a couple things for you."

I turned around. "You don't have to give me anything, Michael."

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm doing it anyways. Here's one thing," He pushed a small box into my hands. "Open it when you get home."

"Thanks."

"And here's the other thing." He pulled my head down and kissed me firmly on the lips. I was stunned for a moment, then returned the kiss. We broke apart and looked at each other. "I'll miss you. Good luck, and be careful." Michael said, then fled down the hill.

"I'll miss you, too," I murmured._ I can't wait until next summer. But first things first. I'd better get home._

Once Michael was out of sight, I opened the box. I gasped. In it was a silver necklace with a bow and arrows as the pendent. There was a note. I picked it up. "Don't forget to practice! See you next summer! P.S. Rub the tips of the arrows." I rubbed the tips of the arrows like the note said, and was suddenly holding a bow in my hands. I could feel a quiver of arrows at my back. I laughed._ I won't forget to practice. He'll be surprised next summer…_ I looked back one more time at the camp before heading down the hill towards home.

**A/N- Sorry it's short. That's the end of Wait- I'm a Demigod? But don't worry! Khristi will be back for more pranks, quests, romance, etc! Now…**

**Poll results:**

**Naomi- 4**

**Connor- 2**

**Sorry for all those who voted Connor!**

**Credits:**

**Silents-in-the-Library - Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter! I did not steal Jonah from you. There's a kid in my sister's class named Jonah, so I just took his name. Now, you'd better finish Children of the Prophecy so that we can collide! *BOOM!* Oops. They collided a little too fast and blew up ;)**

**AwesomeASIAN98 - Thanks so much for reviewing. And for pointing out what I've done wrong. It's been really helpful. And the Lord of Rings can, in fact, get you out of any trouble ;)**

**Lavi - Thanks for your vote**

**Ijitgirl - Thanks for reviewing and putting in your opinions!**

**Aeron Thana - I always look forward to your reviews. Thanks for the skit idea. As you can see, I used it.**

**Whoitis - thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked Jonah's threat. ;)**

**Fanofdeliciousflavor522 - your reviews are much appreciated. I am not responsible for any trouble Connor's puns get you into ;) Hope you read the sequel!**

**hot pepper/deaddog - Thanks sis! **

**Buddysbud - thanks for your review**

**Above The Ground - thanks for your encouragment!**

**Thelostterrorist - you have an interesting pen name. Thanks for reading! Oh, yeah, and the dog was a hellhound**

**Werewolf101 - ahh, sweet revenge**

**Cozmozombie - I just say that reviews=updates. I update anyways. Thanks for reading!**

**Mixandmingle - Hope you liked the story! Thanks so much for reading!**

**Evil-Demon-Devil-Pixie - Thanks! **

**And a big thank you to all my anonymous readers! The sequel will be out sometime soon! Hope you liked the story! I guess this is goodbye, then…*sobs* Review? Just to tell me your final thoughts on this, and ideas for the sequel!**

**BYE!**

**-smartone101**


	27. announcement

**A/N- Hey guys! The story is up! It's called "Wait- What did we just explode?" Go ahead and read it! Hope you like it!**

**-smartone101**


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